


These Flowers were Meant for You

by ethereal_blue



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Multi, i have no idea what im doing, reverse hanahaki, shuichi is the ultimate cinnamon bun, some spoilers I guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-01-27 11:58:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 61,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12581412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ethereal_blue/pseuds/ethereal_blue
Summary: Shuichi clutched his stomach, feeling queasy and nauseous. He also felt a bit of vertigo. Excusing himself from class which caused all of his classmates turn to look at him, all curious as to why Shuichi Saihara – the student who would never miss a lesson till now - would want to be excused. He didn’t have any time to explain before he ran full speed to the men’s bathroom and just noticed the burning feeling he had in his throat. It was irritating and it started to hurt.Without any warning he began to cough uncontrollably – flower petals exiting his mouth as if it was confetti. Red, blue, yellow, orange, pink, purple. Different shades of petals from different flowers. He knew what this meant yet this was impossible. When he finished the detective just stood there, looking at the amount of flower petals in his hands, thinking of a logical solution other than what he already knew. None came to mind. How is this possible?Saihara Shuichi caught the hanahaki disease but Saihara Shuichi was not in love. He was sure he wasn't.





	1. A Flower Vase

**Author's Note:**

> first fic! yey! so yeah. saihara is such a cinnamon bun that all pairings for him is welcome in my heart. please protect the precious shuichi!

 

              Shuichi never intended to get too close to his classmates but somehow it happened. The boy just wanted to survive high school and being civil to everyone was the best way he thought of to get through it unscathed. High school was not a safe playing field, almost everyone knows that – especially when you’re going through puberty. Shuichi was never known as a very social boy but God knows where he found such people skill in the short time he entered school.

                “Shuichi! Wait up bro!” Kaito Momota, one of his best male friends, shouted even though they were literally in front of each other. He had his signature goofy smile that suited the Ultimate Astronaut more than anything. Kaito was not the first one to approach him but since their first bonding moment – the time when his _only_ current friend from that time at the school suddenly had a competition overseas leaving the shy detective to fend for himself in the jungle called Neo Hope’s Peak Academy for almost a month – the easy-going astronaut approached him, seemingly noticing his dreadful aura when his friend had been absent.

_You look like you need a partner. Good thing I was looking for a sidekick._

                 Those were the words the Ultimate Astronaut first exchanged with him leaving him flabbergasted before being pulled into the strong gravitation of the Luminary of the Stars. He might have been not the first choice of a friend for Shuichi but he was grateful that Kaito approached him. Now he couldn’t imagine not having the loudmouthed Kaito be his friend.

                He gave Shuichi a strong pat on the back – making the smaller boy lose some of his balance. Luckily, he was saved by a stern hand from Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist and his very first friend in this school. Kaede was not much different from Kaito, well maybe Kaede was a bit smarter. Okay she was way smarter than Kaito – most of their class were - but the two had the similar aura of being friendly to the point that people would naturally gather around them. She was a leader. He was not. She was hopeful of a new tomorrow. He was as pessimistic as a death row inmate. She believed in the Ultimate Detective. He did not.

And somehow, they still became best friends.

                “Woah there Shuichi.” Kaede placed a hand on his shoukder to balance him. He nodded to give some form of recognition and gratitude to the blond. The plum haired boy apologized although it was in a way, that was way too familiar to Shuichi. A light-hearted apology which did not consist of any of the usual morose face. It was Kaito after all.  He accepted it since he had no other choice & it was not even a big deal to him. He had weak legs. That was that.

                The three friends started walking on the red brick path towards the outside of the main building of the academy, talking about the homework for evaluation day. “I need to create a new piece by the end of the month. I really don’t know how to do it with my duties in the student council.” Kaede sighed as she looked through the clipboard she was holding. Her eyebrows furrowing as she sees the proposed budget and adamantly shook her head as if to disagree. “I am not giving your club any more money to build a mini launching pad Momota-kun.” The astronaut looked at her like she grew a new head.

                “But we need it Kaede!” He whined, trying to look pitiful. He instead looked constipated which made Shuichi stifle a laugh. “What kind of Astronomy club would not have a mini launch pad model in their clubroom!?” Kaito tried to make his argument sound valid. In the mind of the ultimate pianist however it was just gibberish. Kaede smiled such a bright smile that it was blinding. Shuichi knew exactly what would happen next.

                “No.” Yup. Outright denial by Kaede.

                Kaito Momota just hung his head. Knowing the pianist, she wouldn’t change her mind unless he comes up with a better excuse to fund his hobb – necessary gadget for the betterment of their club. Even though they were attending such a prestigious school, they still needed to have some budget cuts, Shuichi couldn’t help think.

                Neo Hope’s Peak Academy was a good school. It was also unique because you needed to be scouted before being admitted to the test and then officially going as a student. Neo Hope scouted him when he was with his uncle during one of their stake-outs. If Shuichi was honest he didn’t know what to do when the scouts of Neo Hope’s Peak suddenly popped out of nowhere and demanded he followed them. Following four big men wearing dark tinted glasses and identical black suits was not a good thing. The stranger danger alarm he had was set to red alert. He struggled when one of them put a hand on his shoulder and his uncle did his best to fight them off. The detective duo only calmed down when they saw one of the well-known figures of Neo Hope’s Peak get out of the car. The light-haired heir was easily recognizable. Byakuya Togami made an attempt to stabilize the situation and explain the need for Shuichi to follow them.

                Attempt because Byakuya didn’t do much convincing and just shoved the poor boy into the van whilst handing his uncle some papers. Of course, he passed the test – he was in a room of puzzles and other make-shift cases. It was the most Shuichi had ever encountered in his life, almost a year’s worth of detective work. Shuichi finished it in less than an hour.

                The facilities in the academy were all those needed to foster the many talents that each Ultimate had. The teaching method was more of a hands-off approach. Sometimes there was homeroom, a little classes sprinkled here and there but most of the time all you needed to do was show up, take the exams and cultivate your talent till evaluation day and spend the rest of the year enjoying school activities.

                They passed by some of the other students from the other classes – both of his companions seeming to have found friendships outside of him as they greeted various students that Shuichi has not have had the chance to even talk to. This made the raven-haired boy instinctively hide himself under his cap.

                The detective was shy, that was an established fact. Even being the son of a famous actor and screenwriter could not take away the shyness that budded in Shuichi till it fully bloomed in his teens. He attributed this trait to the way the paparazzi used to crowd him and his parents whenever they went out to be a family. The way they would swarm him with all the camera flashes, talking over each other and even getting physical by pushing just to get an interview with one of his parents scarred him for life. The Saihara couple were always in the spotlight and that was one of the main reasons Shuichi secluded himself, trying to find a safe place out of the public’s judging eye.

                He always thought what if he was as charming as his father. Or as a socialite as his mother. Maybe he wouldn’t be such a stuttering mess whenever someone new would approach him.

                “Akamatsu-chan~ Momota-chan~ My beloved Saihara-chh” a strained voice called out making Shuichi leave his thoughts. He looked up, repositioning his cap a bit to see the purple haired trickster being strangled by one of their classmates, and oddly close friend, Maki Harukawa the Ultimate Child Giver which was a bit ironic. She was strangling their classmate who looked like a child compared to most of them.

                “Maki-san put him down.” Kaede sternly scolded Maki. The brunette begrudgingly complied and let the Ultimate Supreme Leader, Kokichi Ouma, down. He coughed but the smug look in his face was not wiped off. This did not go unnoticed by Maki and she was about to strangle him again when the purple deviant ran full speed towards Shuichi and gave him a strong hug, tipping him a bit in the process, crying his fake tears. “My beloved Saihara-chan~ Waaaaaaah!.” He buried his face into Shuichi’s shirt. “The gorilla woman is becoming brutish again! Waaaaaah” 

                Maki was reaching for her knife, ready to cut Kokichi and pry him away from her friend. Kaito stopped her in time before any of the teachers noticed the commotion. Not that they would intervene but they would be better off not getting called to Headmaster Naegi’s office. The last time that it happened – when the whole class was made to go to the office because Kokichi managed to push the right buttons for everyone and got them to participate in a class-wide gambling tournament that had dares as prizes which were innocent at the beginning that eventually led to the left wing getting caught in an explosion while bits of peperoni was raining down the courtyard. The Headmaster was nice, for the most part. The truly terrifying one was the assistant headmaster. Her stern purple eyes made almost all of them cower in the corner of the room with the exception of Kokichi who was doing his signature laugh, Maki who did not show fear and Shuichi. Assistant headmaster Kirigiri was always nice to Shuichi so he saw the stern look on her face as a sign of affection rather than dread.

                “What did you do this time Ouma-kun?” Shuichi talked to the Ultimate Supreme Leader while stroking his hair. He knew they were fake tears but the detective knows that the Ultimate Supreme Leader only does this when he wants to feel Shuichi’s touch. Something he learned through the year when Kokichi had stubbornly wanted to play tag with Shuichi and when he refused made his life a bit harder than it normally was. The chase would always end when the detective somehow gets a hold of him.

                The purple haired boy, still burying his face in his chest, mumbled something like _I didn’t do anything. Harukawa-chan is just a really violent woman,_ making the caregiver emit a menacing aura warning everyone in the vicinity know she was ready to kill. Shuichi continued to stroke his hair and gave Maki an apologetic look. Shuichi apologized in behalf of their troublemaker.

 Maki didn’t like it but she had no choice. Her friend was just to nice and she didn’t want to hurt him in any way by refusing his apology. She however did not want him to go scot free so she told her friends what the boy was doing. “The little shit tried to steal Gokuhara’s bugs and plant them into Miu’s underwear drawer.”

                Kokichi stopped burying his face into Shuichi’s chest when he felt the detective stop stroking his hair. He looked up and saw the disapproving eyes of his beloved detective. It was the same look he would be given whenever his beloved would learn of what he had been planning. “Snitch.” The leader muttered, letting his hold on Shuichi loosen.

                Kaede and Kaito shifted themselves to have Maki in the middle while Shuichi was beside Kokichi. It was only a precautionary act to be between Maki and Kokichi when they were talking to each other. Unless they wanted their class to have one less student they better give as much space between the brunette and the grape. Maki was still staring daggers at Kokichi, and Kokichi seemingly provoking the care giver by his mere existence, when a group of their classmates came running from the grounds towards them. Tenko Chabashira was the one leading the pack. The Ultimate Neo-Akido Master was barking orders to the group which consists of the Ultimate Entomologist, the Ultimate Tennis Pro and the Ultimate Robot to hurry up and get their blood rushing.

                All of them were keeping a fairly safe pace well except maybe Kiibo. He looked as if he was about to pass out from the strain he was feeling in his robotic body. Some form of smoke was coming out of his mouth and maybe his joints, signs of overheating.

                “What the hell Kee-boy. You are a disgrace of a robot if you are tired just from a few laps!” Kokichi jeered the robot making him frown. Kiibo and Kokichi weren’t exactly enemies but they weren’t friends either. The robot hated whenever the supreme leader looks down on him.

                 The jeering worked in his favor. Not wanting to give Kokichi the satisfaction of seeing him behind the pack, he sped up, actually passing Gonta who was in the lead. Unfortunately, Kiibo forgot to regulate his speed and couldn’t stop in time, crashing into the group before him – more specifically to Shuichi. How many times does he need to be crashed into today?

                Shuichi had no time to regain his balance and fully flopped onto the road with Kiibo lying on top of him. The robot was a bit more lightweight than what he expected but it was still enough to limit his movements. Shuichi alone could not move the robot. Kiibo was far too tired to react to the embarrassing position, he was panting hard. Kokichi on the other hand had all the energy in his body to react.

                “KIIBO! GET. OFF. MY. BELOVED. SAIHARAAA!” The small supreme leader screeched. He was trying his best to pull the other away. It was a futile. His small stature wasn’t enough to get rid of the robot. “Ughh!” He remarked flustered that his strength wasn’t enough. Tenko and the others stopped running and were getting ready to help the detective out.

                “What are you two doing?” Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Magician asked. She had been walking towards the dorms with the Ultimate Artist when they saw the commotion with their classmates.

             “Ooooh! Looks like fun!” Angie Yonaga chimed in. “Atua wants me to join you!” Without warning the white-haired artist jumped onto the crowd destroying any progress they had in getting Kiibo off Shuichi. Now Shuichi had two bodies on top of him. Great.

             “Angie, why did you do that!?” Tenko shouted, clearly irritated with the ultimate. Somehow, Angie was even more difficult to pry away than Kiibo who actually had metal parts on him. Kaito and Ryoma were helping Tenko yet it wasn’t enough, the white-haired artist was there to stay. 

            The Ultimate Supreme Leader grew quiet during the whole ordeal holding a blank stare towards all of them. In a few seconds however, he joined the dog pile on Shuichi. His reasoning was that he wanted to join in on the Saihara loving session. The clean-up trio never felt so tired in their life. 

              By some means, Gonta was dragged into the mess, making it harder for everyone who was trying to fix it. Maki had long resigned from the trouble and just chose to sit it out under the tree. Kaede was fussing over Shuichi whether he could still breathe while the other three called for the help of Korekiyo Shinguuji, the Ultimate Anthropologist to add some muscle. Kiyo initially refused but the harsh look from Tenko and pleading eyes of Shuichi convinced him. Now four people were trying to get Gonta out of the pile first seeing as he was out he could help with the rest.

                “I got the papers you wanted from the council Akamatsu-chan.” Rantarou Amami, the Ultimate Adventurer casually walked up to the mess his classmates were getting themselves into and passed the papers to Kaede. He had behind him the Ultimate Inventor, Miu Iruma who was enjoying the sight of her classmates being “on top” of the detective.

                 The pianist was grateful, temporarily forgetting the dilemma her best friend was in. Shuichi knew Kaede would forget about him for the time she was reading, quietly resigning himself to the faith of being crushed to death by his friends.

                He was starting to feel dizzy. Maybe from the lack of air. That was weird. He had enough breathing room under all these bodies. Why was he suddenly gasping for air?

                “Saihara-kun,” he heard someone call him. His vision cleared, realizing that the Ultimate Cosplayer, Tsumugi Shirogane, was the one who called out to him. Shuichi had temporarily passed out or was just extremely out of it. When he focused he saw 15 pairs of eyes had all been looking at him with worry clearly sketched on their faces. The previous restrictions on him were out of the way and Kirumi was massaging his head.

                When did the Ultimate Maid arrive? He wondered before being snapped back to reality by Rantarou. “Are you okay?” His words were laced with concern. Words couldn’t escape him so a small nod was all he could manage. Kirumi helped him up by carefully supporting him. The gentleness of her touch truly showcased that she was an Ultimate Maid.

                “You passed out from being crushed by these idiots here.” Maki said without holding back. The four who were responsible for almost squeezing the life out of him were holding their heads low. Clearly repenting for letting it get that far. A chorus of _we’re sorry_ was heard and Shuichi forgave them. Some however – specifically Maki, Rantarou and Kirumi – were not satisfied with the apology. The raven-haired tried to diffuse the tension by smiling, trying to let them know he really was fine.

                “If Shuichi says its fine then that’s all we need! No one died so everything is a-okay!” Kaito barked and laughed making Maki face-palm herself by the clear idiocy of Kaito.

                The three couldn’t do anything more. If the victim was willing to forgive them, they didn’t have any right to remain mad.

                “Let’s go home now guys.” Shuichi suggested. All agreed and started walking towards the dorms. They all lived in the same building, being one class and all. Neo Hope’s Peak had dorms for every ultimate, saying that it would promote camaraderie and have a positive influence on all their talents. The school also doesn’t separate them into genders. They believe that if they allowed such interactions from the ultimates, new talents will be formed. Relationships were not prohibited as long as you do not disregard your talent and school work. A weird system indeed.

 

* * *

 

 

                When Shuichi entered his room, saying his goodbyes to all his classmates, the sudden nausea he had earlier came back. It hit him like a train. The young boy collapsed onto his bed, not bothering on taking off his cap and shoes or getting changed for sleep. What he was feeling was incredibly painful that he could not be bothered. Reaching for the thermometer in his second drawer by the bedside, he saw how his fever reached 39.5 degrees. He was burning up.

                He recalled his medicine cabinet was empty and made a mental note to buy some from the pharmacy near the entrance tomorrow. All he could do now was rest.

                Shuichi did not have a good night’s sleep.

* * *

 

 

                When he woke up the next morning his fever was gone. In fact, he felt as if the extreme pain he felt yesterday was all a dream. His body was normal and showed no signs of being weak. Was it a dream? Maybe it was. He was just too tired from the events and might have imagined all the hurt causing his brain to think he had a fever. _But why did the thermometer…_

                He brushed away the thought when he noticed the time. It was past 7! He was going to be late if he doesn’t try to move quickly and prepare for his lessons. Shuichi was sure he was going to be late.

 

* * *

 

                Five minutes before the bell rung was when the detective entered the room clearly out of breath from running at full speed. All his classmates were already seated. Kaito approached still panting Shuichi. He let him get his breathing together before talking, afraid that he might pass out.

                “Dude, you okay? You looked like you ran a marathon and barely won when the one in front of you was cheating with everything he got to stop you from passing.” What an oddly specific analogy.

                He explained to him his late awakening, getting a laugh from the taller boy and a slap on his back. He acknowledged everyone who said good morning before the bell rang and homeroom was about to start. Taking his usual seat, in front of the class at the far left near the window, he prepared himself for another day of learning. That was when a sharp pain formed in the pit of his stomach.

                A pain so strong he thought someone was driving a knife through his body. He shuddered, putting a hand into his mouth to keep himself from screaming. He bit into his skin to let the pain subside, making his porcelain-white skin gain a shade of red. The method was not working. It in fact made it worse, doubling the discomfort he was feeling. What is this dreadful feeling.

                  Shuichi was so out of it that he didn’t notice somebody was poking him with a pen.

                “Hey crotch rot? Are you feeling okay?” Miu whispered behind him. She must have noticed how he was crouched down, trying to contain the pain. Shuichi was not the best at lying, a detective must not lie after all if his main profession was to search for the truth, but being in this school he learned a few tricks to put up a façade which he sometimes used in is investigations.

                “I’m fine Iruma-san. I was just a little hungry, skipping breakfast and all.” He pulled off the lie perfectly. Adding a small smile at the end as if his insides were not burning and destroying themselves. Maybe he did inherit something from his parents. He could be an actor with how well he played the role of being fine.

                The female inventor just clicked her tongue, saying something like how disappointed she was that he was not jacking off and focused her attention once more to the homeroom teacher in front.

                He could do this. Just delude yourself, saying your fine and you could get by the morning before going to the nurse’s office.

                It was going to work. And then the pain came back.

                Shuichi clutched his stomach, feeling queasy and nauseous. He also felt a bit of vertigo. Excusing himself from class which caused all of his classmates turn to look at him, all curious as to why Shuichi Saihara – the student who would never miss a lesson till now - would want to be excused. He didn’t have any time to explain before he ran full speed to the men’s bathroom and just noticed the burning feeling he had in his throat. It was irritating and it started to hurt.

                Without any warning he began to cough uncontrollably – flower petals exiting his mouth as if it was confetti. Red, blue, yellow, orange, pink, purple. Different shades of petals from different flowers. He knew what this meant yet this was impossible. When he finished the detective just stood there, looking at the amount of flower petals in his hands, thinking of a logical solution other than what he already knew. None came to mind. _How is this possible?_

Saihara Shuichi caught the hanahaki disease but Saihara Shuichi was not in love. 

He knows he wasn't. 

                He couldn’t believe that he was afflicted with the disease. Why? There was no possible way of him acquiring such a specific disease.  He had read of the disease that came about just a few years before he graduated from nursery because of a case in his uncle’s firm. The client wanted to know why their lover was afflicted with the disease even though she was the previous reason why he had the disease. A disease that came from having unrequited love. The hanahaki was a mysterious affliction that a person suffering from it would vomit out flowers from within their body and eventually die. A slow or fast working disease depending on the circumstances on how it bloomed.

_As if someone was playing the “he loves me; he loves me not” game with their own life._

                He clenched the petals that came out of his body, taking note of the colors and figures of each. He was still fine if it were just petals. If he started with bulbs and buds or even worse whole flowers then he would only have a few days to live. With petals he could survive till he went to the hospital to get treatment. He would just open the account his parents gave him for the expensive treatment. His parents did leave him with enough money to last him three lifetimes.

                Shuichi already planned out what he would do to save himself. The only problem was they would not allow him to partake in the treatment if he couldn’t pinpoint who was the cause of the disease. The treatment did involve disrupting someone’s memories, erasing a part of the human’s identity. So, doctors need to make sure they were treating the right memory.

                Shuichi looked into the mirror. _Who are you in love with?_ He tried to look back on who he might have fancied enough to develop this horrible disease but none came to mind. He imagined all the faces of his classmates yet his reactions to each face were not that of a lovesick fool. The detective was running out of options. Maybe he was in love with a teacher! No. An Idol! Or maybe some other ultimate in this academy. He needed to know so that he could forget that person. His life was hanging on the line here.

                He was writhing in agony while trying to make his brain work. The detective had been sprawled on the floor of the bathroom, clutching his stomach, believing it would soothe whatever he was feeling while occasionally coughing out petals. The frail body he had was becoming frailer by the second before he heard a knock outside.

 

“Saihara-kun?”


	2. The Leaves in the Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maki and Kaede looked quite worried for their friend. Having discovered him in the bathroom surrounded by petals of various colors and forms, paler than they’d ever seen him. 
> 
> When he failed to respond, Maki fearlessly kicked open the door to the men’s bathroom, not caring what horrible scene she could have walked into.
> 
> Seeing Shuichi passed out on the floor however was the most terrifying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe this has more than 15 kudos! having more than 5 already made me happy but it actually surpassed all my expectations. thank you! and hope you all like this chapter.

Kaede was worried. Her best friend had been absent for most of homeroom and that never happened. Having an empty seat in the four-walled classroom, that was not that of the problem children and actually belonged to a person who you would never attach the word “delinquent” to, was much more bizarre than one would admit to.

                 The detective was a straight A student, and much like her, would never skip without a valid reason.         

                She wasn’t the only one who seemed bothered by this fact. The atmosphere in the classroom turned sour the moment the detective raised his hand to be excused.

                Shuichi may not have been the most outspoken of the class but Kaede knew that, compared to anyone else in this room, Shuichi Saihara was the one all of them cared about. Many say that Kaede was the more popular one, maybe even Kaito, Rantarou had a certain image around the academy and Kokichi was famous for all the wrong reasons. But if they were to judge based on the intricacy of the relationship and the trust built then Shuichi would always take first place.

                No one in their whole class would be able to truly say they could put up with the eccentric personalities of each other without getting a little annoyed – or entirely infuriated depending on who you ask -  except for the soft-spoken boy. A type of perseverance that would only work for someone that was involved in a profession or training in a profession – as he would normally put it -  that needed much determination like being a detective. It may have formed without the other realizing yet Shuichi Saihara embodied sincerity and resolution in the eyes of the Ultimates in the 53rd class.

                The pianist started twiddling with her fingers, her mind wandering to her best friend who rushed with all his might to get out of the room. Was there an emergency? Was Shuichi maybe sick? A dozen thoughts entered, not giving her any assurance or peace of mind. No one in the area knew except maybe the boy in question. She recalled that he looked fine, sans the panting from running, and he even managed to laugh his usual. Maybe something happened during the short span that she didn’t took notice of him. Okay, she decided. Checking up on the detective was her priority the moment the teacher walks out the door so she tidied up, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

                Most of the class had the same thoughts, all having devised their own plans of checking up on Shuichi. If there was something the class would be united in, aside from possibly passing the semester, it would most likely concern the raven-haired pretty boy. He was after all the one who understood them the most. One time, while the said boy was called to help the assistant headmaster, the class had a short discussion on how they would describe each other.

                Miu was voted as dirty, much to her dismay by more than half of the present students. It was actually pretty tame compared to what Kokichi, Tsumugi and Kiyo offered. Even better than what Miu offered herself – which was a thot. Gonta was described lovingly as a gummy bear by Himiko to which the others agreed. Kirumi was called motherly by Kokichi, and gathered a chorus of approval, even from Maki, who they swear would rather commit mass murder than agree with what the purple vermin would say. Kaito, aside from being told that he was an idiot, was marked as “fresh” something the boy did not quite understand. Then came the description for the Ultimate Detective.

                Various forms of words were thrown out there, “shy”, “friendly”, “considerate”, “hot”, “intelligent” etc. All words that described their classmate yet would somehow not entirely be him. Word after word came out of the Ultimates’ mouths, finding that one word that would embody Shuichi, and what Kiyo said was what they went with.

_Beautiful._

                The word was quite simple. It was quite common as well. They may have been looking for something more that would stand-out, that would explain to whoever that didn’t know the boy just how amazing he was. So how did they all end up agreeing with the word “beautiful”? A word used far too frequently in love songs, stories and the like that somewhere along the way they thought it would have lost its meaning.

                However, it was perfect. To the class, Shuichi Saihara was beautiful. Simply utterly beautiful. A word that when used for the Ultimate Detective became much more than a romance trope to get a temporary response.  

                Kaede hoped that being lost in her thoughts would make the time go quicker. She looked at the wall clock at the front of the room and sighed when it didn’t even move to five minutes. _Why in the world was this class so long!_

                Kokichi was glaring at the teacher, hoping he would get the message and let them out of stupid class discussing about stupid things. Himiko was reciting an incantation which she believed would quicken the time as well as relying on Angie’s connection with Atua, praying to strengthen her magic. Rantarou was just waiting for the bell pensively, his continuous tapping however was irritating Miu to the bone. This class was getting longer the more they paid attention to the damn clock.

                “Okay, it’s almost time…” the teacher proclaimed, audible sighs of relief filling the area. Kaede let one out herself, something which she didn’t normally partake in, unless Kaito was acting stupid to the point it was done out of pity rather than relief. The sound of bags shuffling became the prominent sound and all looked ready to go before their hopes were dashed by what their teacher said next. “But we were given strict orders by the Assistant Headmaster to lengthen this class hour by 30 minutes because of the upcoming Talent Festival so all of you hold your horses and stay put.”

                If looks could kill right now, their teacher would be six feet under murdered by seemingly very pissed off ultimates. Kaede knew it was displaced anger but she couldn’t help it. Looking a bit more frustrated than she normally was, she closed her eyes to stop the anger that was rising up. Now was not the time to be talking about some stupid festival!

                Then a thought came to the honey-blonde’s mind.

                It just might work.

                 She raised her hand, amidst the chaos of her homeroom teacher calming the class before they start rioting. Attention shifted from possible anarchy in class 53 and the teacher was thankful for the distraction.

                “Yes Akamatsu?” Nodding towards her direction to give her recognition, she stood up facing the eyes that were now on her.

                “May I check up on Saihara-san teacher.” She said, her voice unfaltering. Being a part of the student council gave her some backbone in talking especially when attention was set on her. “He has been gone for quite some time… _and I’m a bit worried.”_ The last part was not audible for anyone in the room except for Kaede herself. Adding that would make it look much more in front of her teacher, which she wouldn’t appreciate because they had enough misunderstandings from the members of the council about her relationship with the detective.

                It was platonic and the two knew it. She just hopes the misunderstandings on the part of others would be cleared up.

                The teacher looked at the empty seat in front and waved his hand to show he gave permission. “Saihara did look quite pale earlier. Okay, you are allowed to leave Akamatsu.” The teacher stopped and thought of something. “Ah, I think its best you take one of your classmates.”

                Now this was the sort of pressure Kaede couldn’t take. This type of attention was not something to be craved. Her classmates silently pleading that she take them with her, different colored irises yet all held the same force of wanting to accompany the pianist. She was panicking and the teacher wanted her to hurry up, not noticing how intense everything was. Maybe she could pick randomly? No that won’t sit well with her. All of them wanted to go with her. She needed to decide based on her relations with each student, and how useful one might be if it came to it. After much mental deliberation she finally decided. It was the first person in her mind when the teacher told her to bring one more person out.

                “Uhm..Ma..Harukawa-san can you..come with.m-me?” The determination in her voice waivered every time she met with the eyes of another who could not comprehend why she didn’t pick them. Maybe it was of the pressure but Maki was the only one who wasn’t sending an aura towards her just to be picked and Kaede was grateful for that.

                Maki nodded, leaving the room with her. Rantarou’s patience was at its peak and he, not one to care much of his standings with school authority stood up to follow the two girls. The others had the same idea and stood up as well, ready to defy their poor teacher.

“Okay now that its settled…” He took notice of the group which was already at the door. He called out to the one who was about to open the door. “Amami sorry but I can’t let anyone of you go out anymore. The assistant headmaster would have all of our heads in a platter if I let any more of you go.” Rantarou could actually ignore the words of his teacher, it wouldn’t be the first time he acted as a bad boy but judging from the sweat that was forming on their teacher’s forehead, the threat was not far from the truth.

                Even with all the piercings and bad boy look, Rantarou was still a softy inside. Letting out an audible sigh, he turned back to his seat and ushered the rest to do the same. They were clearly not pleased but he does not want the death of their teacher to be on their heads. Rantarou just hoped that Kaede and Maki find Shuichi at the earliest convenience. _And hoped to God that he was fine._

                The two friends had been walking along the corridor making sure to not make too much noise as classes were still ongoing. Based on what they knew, they could find Shuichi in either the bathroom at the end of the hall or in the infirmary. Since the bathroom was closer it was clear that they would investigate there first. Idle chat was what kept Kaede’s nerves calm. Somewhere in her mind, she felt that something was wrong but she kept pushing it down, believing that everything was still fine.

                “Kaede, we’re here.” Maki said, stopping in her tracks as she faced the wooden door. They stared at the entrance and a few minutes passed before it finally dawned on Kaede the problem that they needed to deal with right now.

                They were both girls, and Shuichi may have been on the other side of men’s bathroom. How could she not have seen this coming? Hindsight was truly 20/20.

                “So, what should we do Maki?” Kaede asked. Honestly the blonde didn’t know what to do. It was definitely improper to open the door, but she couldn’t go back and ask for assistance without being 100% sure that Shuichi was at the other side. Maki took action while Kaede was debating with herself on what to do. Maki took the initiative and knocked on the door three times, calling out to the young detective.  

                “Saihara-kun?” No answer. Maki tried one more time and had the same results. _Well that’s that._

                Kaede instinctively backed away from the door, turning to face the direction of the stairs and was already walking towards the infirmary when Maki kicked the door down. Kaede was speechless with Maki’s abrupt action. She knew the Ultimate Child Care Giver was just what she uses so that other ultimates outside their class wouldn’t ask too much questions. Or have them emit fear with her mere presence. But seeing the Ultimate Assassin in action will never be uninteresting for her.

                The door was halved, some pieces of it flying towards the hall and the insides of the bathroom. Kaede was already making calculations on how much it would cost to fix the broken door. She was about to scold her friend about the added responsibility on her part but Maki looked shocked. It was the first time in a while that Kaede had seen her like that.

                She peered through the doorway and immediately saw why Maki had been that way. Tears started welling up. No. Kaede shouldn’t be weak at a time like this. No matter what, his safety comes first.

                “Maki,” she said with conviction. 

                “On it.”

X X X

                “It’s the hanahaki disease,” the nurse timidly reported to the two. After making sure the patient was sleeping, she softy closed the curtains. Nurse Mikan Tsumiki didn’t know what to expect when she saw the blonde almost crash into the infirmary’s door while the brunette was carrying a boy in her arms, who looked as pale as a ghost. The two were panicking, making hard for the Ultimate Nurse to understand what happened. Tears were building up in both of their eyes and she knew it was her job to not only treat the unconscious boy but also keep the two from passing out. They carried him to the bed and asked to be left alone with the patient for a few minutes for her to find out what was wrong. Mikan calmly instructed the two to take a seat. Neo Hope’s Peak had a rather large infirmary room because based from experience, a room full of ultimates was bad news and would almost always result to injury. There were a lot of free seats available however the two did not bother. If thy took a seat now, thei legs would most likely not want to move again.

                The hanahaki disease was not uncommon in a school environment, especially for first years like them. Hormones normally play a part in that and he was not the first case she had this week. The school was well-stocked on items that would aid her in her talent and she moved quickly for the sake of the patient.

                 She treated the ultimate detective with sedatives and other meds to lessen the pain and even slow down the progress of the disease. Normally, she would have just let him rest and the disease would sort things out on their own but she took it further by letting the ADam – a body scanning machine built by the ultimate mechanic, her classmate back at the original Hope’s Peak – take a look. The process was fast normally but she had two other patients that needed some attending to so she didn’t take a look at the results yet.

                Maki and Kaede looked quite worried for their friend. Having discovered him in the bathroom surrounded by petals of various colors and forms, paler than they’d ever seen him. When he failed to respond, Maki fearlessly kicked open the door to the men’s bathroom, not caring what horrible scene she could have walked into.

Seeing Shuichi passed out on the floor however was the most terrifying.

                “Hanahaki?” Maki couldn’t believe it. Out of all the idiots in their class, Shuichi had to be the one to be infected with a life-threatening disease. Absentmindedly fumbling with the ribbon on her uniform she swears to God or whatever being Angie prays to. Why him? Shuichi did not deserve this.

                Kaede was silent. Not sure what to say. She wanted to say that it was going to be alright and that it was Shuichi after all. He was always full of surprises. He was the one who overcame his shyness and tried his best to create a special connection with each and every Ultimate in their class. The boy who stepped up the plate to challenge the assistant headmaster just to save Kaito and Kokichi from being expelled. The one who was acknowledged as a prodigy while keeping both of his feet planted on the ground.

                Kaede would never believe that something like the hanahaki would take away this wonderful person from her life. She eyed the cap that left on the desk. From earlier it fell off his head, thankfully when they were at the door of the infirmary. _Shuichi would be sad if I left that cap._

Mikan was silent, sitting down at her desk and only observed. It was just well after the first period for classes and recess was just around the corner. She had no reason to usher these two out, deeming it unadvisable. Doing so would only increase the nervousness they were feeling. She knew how it feels to be powerless in a situation while a friend was undergoing difficulty. _She knew far too well._

                 The venue was not doing much in easing their tension. Hospital rooms always had that effect to the family of patients. And even though this was only an infirmary, the situation was the same. Being helpless and just waiting for someone to get better.

                After inviting the two to take a seat, offering them something to drink and went back to check on the boy they carried. From the details she was given by the two he was the Ultimate Detective of Class 53. A first year in the academy. Opening a drawer with all the records concerning the health of every student and teacher in the academy, quickly scanning through them till finding the specific file. _Shuichi Saihara._

                He was rather healthy judging from the records. He had no other account on going to the infirmary aside from when he got a scratch during the opening festivities. His physical attributes also weren’t of concern because as what she found, he was healthy. Mikan took a quick look at the patient. He was tall though she admits the boy had a build fairly similar to herself albeit a bit bigger. When he was carried inside, the ultimate didn’t notice it but seeing the picture on her records, it was apparent the boy looked a bit feminine. His face was pretty to the point she could mistake him for a girl. It reminded her of someone she knew. _I guess he also gets angry when someone points it out though he had a rougher look on him._ She stifled a giggle at the memory.

                Leaving her reminiscing for later, she finally decided to check on the findings of the ADam. The results were automatically printed and reading was the only thing left for her to do. Something written on the paper immediately made Mikan raise her eyebrows. She didn’t quite understand it. _I didn’t expect I needed to call him right after remembering him just a while back._

X X X

                Maki would be annoyed if she didn’t understand their actions. Her classmates were asking question after question and she was the only one who could answer them. Kaede was told to report to the council, most likely because of the way she handled the men’s bathroom’s door, so she was here alone, trying her best to accommodate the barrage of questions.

                 When they first learned of the disease, the ultimate nurse was kind enough to let them sit it out at the infirmary with her. She didn’t show any sign of wanting them to go. But during her second check up on Shuichi, her tune suddenly changed and begged the two to go back to the classroom.

                “Why? Is Saihara-kun okay? Miss Tsumiki! Do you need blood? I can donate!” Kaede barely sounded like herself. It was different to how she would mostly be composed and a pillar of support but whenever it concerned her friends, she would suddenly forget all that and turn into an emotional mess. It was Maki’s turn to be her support.

                “Kaede breathe.” She started taking note of the state the ultimate pianist was in. The tears that threatened to fall earlier were streaming down her face. There was only so much one person could take and Maki knew this was Kaede’s breaking point.

                Mikan wanted to tell them, she really did, but without the permission of a doctor she couldn’t say it. It was basic protocol she needs to follow, despite being an ultimate. She was allowed to diagnose only to the point of known diseases, if it was much more advance than the standard then that was where her right ends. Maybe because she was an ultimate that she followed it religiously. She needed Shuichi to be examined first before she could declare her suspicions. It broke her heart to see the two students like this – the other clearly holding up better than her companion. She was a nurse to help people for pete’s sake.

                All she could do was assure them that they would be called back when the doctor arrived and finished looking at their friend.

                “But,” The brunette was the one who protested. She had been silent for the most part, her scarlet eyes observing and fully taking in whatever situation they were in.

                Before another word escaped her mouth, Mikan just gently grabbed her hand, hoping her grip was reassuring enough. To let them know she would keep her promise and that she would do everything she could to cure him. Of course, Maki noticed the determination in them. Her touch was one that had no doubt whatsoever. Maki wanted to gamble on the talent of the Ultimate Nurse and assisted the Ultimate Pianist out with her. They were heading back to the room when someone called for Kaede.

                Now she was all alone in the classroom which had 13 students who all wanted her to answer their questions. Their voices blending into one big mess in her head - “Where’s Saihara-kun?” “Is he sick?” “I thought you were going to bring him back?” “You didn’t eat him did you Harukawa-chan?” – she actually knew who asked that last question but she let her irritation simmer down. Now was not the time to hang Kokichi Ouma upside down by the gates of the school – maybe at some later date.

                The Ultimate Child Caregiver did her best and explained what had happened. How they found him, what Shuichi was diagnosed with, and when the Ultimate Nurse made them go back to the room. She let her classmates’ digest what she told them, their focus was solely on what she was saying. All had varying levels of understanding of the situation. Some understood the complexity and danger of it, others just barely registering what the hanahaki disease was and others looked completely lost. _Kaito is really not the brightest star here._

                “Gonta thinks we should go visit Saihara-kun at lunch!” Gonta chimed in when the silence was almost unbearable, Maki silently thanking the gentle giant for his input. “Saihara-kun might want lunch.”

                Ah yes. The nurse would not turn them away if they had such a goal. “A lunch suited for those recovering? I shall prepare one at once.” Kirumi curtly bowed and exited the room, seemingly headed to her ultimate lab. It was still recess and Talent Development period was even next so they would all just be heading to their labs in a while anyways but Kirumi insisted that the earlier she got to prepare the meal, the better. The rest of the ultimates didn’t try to stop the ultimate maid. After all, Kirumi was the best person to ask when it concerned taking care of someone.

                Having found a common goal, the bell for the next class rang, signaling the ultimates to make way to their labs. They agreed to meet outside the infirmary before lunch.

X X X

                “Thank you for coming here on such short notice…” Mikan couldn’t believe that _this man_ was in front of her. Of course, she did call him over, he was the best one for the job after all, but a person of his talents would rarely be available especially if it was out of the blue like what she did.

                “No problem Tsumiki.” His heterochromatic eyes settled on her after hanging his coat on one of the nearby racks. “I’ll always be open to favors from a friend.”

                And there it was, the usual smile accompanied by those kind eyes, it all made Mikan’s heart feel more alive than usual. That look made her feel like a student again. It has been several years since she last saw him yet he still had the same effect on her. Hinata Hajime or Izuru Kamakura, the Ultimate Hope, her high school unrequited love didn’t look a day older when they graduated from the original Hope’s Peak Academy and her feelings haven’t shrunk a bit. Love was still what she felt for the brunette.

                A soft chuckle emanated from the ultimate. Hajime knew of the other’s infatuation of him, it wasn’t exactly a secret. It was a nostalgic feeling. She was still the same old Mikan Tsumiki he knew and it somehow gave him a sense of peace.

                “Hello? Earth to Tsumiki?” He playfully waved his hand in front of her face, making the nurse blush hard when she noticed how hard she was staring at the man.

                “I…uh…didn’t expect you to be here…this fast.” Mikan started, stuttering over her words. Her old habit of playing with her fingers whenever she was nervous or shy came back, and this didn’t go unnoticed by the Ultimate Hope. He decided to not comment on it for the time being. “I thought you were in _that_ country negotiating the peace treaty.”

                “I was but I finished it quite early.” Hajime walked up to the file laying on the desk and started reading _. An ultimate detective huh?_   “I was already at the airport when you called. My schedule was fairly open so I took you up on that favor you asked me. At the same time, I could visit everyone here in Neo Hope before going back to work.”

                He was almost finished with the file when erratic coughing fits suddenly boomed in the room. Mikan was quick to act and hurried to Shuichi’s side, in her hand was a vial, containing suppressants for the hanahaki disease. Out of all the times her clumsiness had to activate it was today. She fumbled in getting the injection gun, almost dropping the vial with it, it was a good thing Hajime had good luck and _luckily_ caught it. Seeing as Mikan was too shaken by the events, Hajime took control.

                Shuichi was up, trying his best not to let out anymore petals from his mouth, holding it back with both of his hands. His body, however, did not listen and continued with his fits. He had grown noticeably paler from the last time the ultimate nurse saw him and even Hajime, who only saw him via the pictures on his files knew that this was not his normal complexion.

                Flower petals were adorning the sheets that were used to tuck in the detective. It even went as far as the legs of the bed. The boy wanted to cry, this was one where he was utterly vulnerable and did not mind the tears, yet his body was too occupied with the disease that even that was overwritten in favor of his slow death. _Why did I have to contract the hanahaki disease? Why did I have to fall in love with someone? I’m not even aware that I had fallen in love!?_

The Ultimate Hope hurried in administering the medicine. After injecting it in his left arm the flower petals immediately stop, making Shuichi mumble a thank-you. Speaking was still hard for him after all that coughing he did so words felt like rocks. Hajime wasn’t finished though. He turned on his heel, heading towards one of the cabinets. He opened each one and scanned through each vial, clearly looking for something. What it was nobody in the room knew except the Ultimate Hope. _It must be here somewhere._

“Tsumiki?”

                Hearing her name called, she pardoned herself from Shuichi and hurried to the side of Hajime. “Yes?”

                “Can you please give the patient, Shuichi Saihara-san, an IV drip? His body is lacking fluids, as you can clearly see from the state of his body.” A quick look at the boy proved Hajime’s statement. Mikan nodded, preparing the equipment for Hajime’s request. “Is that all Hajime-kun?”  

                Without looking away from the bottles he was holding, he replied. “I’ll also need something that I can use to mix these,” he showed her the different types of pharmaceutical drugs he scavenged in the cabinets. Mikan understood, telling Hajime she would show him the lab after putting Shuichi on the IV. She walked away from the Ultimate Hope and neared the raven-haired boy again, giving him her best smile to ease his nerves.  Anyone would be nervous after seeing the medical equipment she brought back with her.

                “I wasn’t quite sure with my theory on his ailment before yet seeing those petals he just coughed up, confirms it.”

                Hajime seemed to have been mumbling to himself for the last part. His voice low that only those who were beside him would have heard. He exhaled under his breath. This is some twist of fate. _History really does repeat itself._

                “Who knew someone would have the same disease I had?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha. hajime was the one i liked the most in dr2 so why not throw him in here as well.
> 
> i also made shuichi and kaede's relaionship platonic instead because if i made it romantic, i would likely burst crying from all the feels and none of the other ultimates would have stood a chance, well maybe ouma but i can still control my fangirling for their ship ~~_no i can't i'm lying. otp at its finest_~~
> 
> i already have people in mind to be "flower bloomers" but let me know if you want a particular ultimate and see if i can insert it in the story.
> 
> thank you again for reading!


	3. Into the Meadow - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before another lecture could start, Hajime spoke up, “Saihara-kun, let me ask you several questions, is that okay?” He prepared a notepad beforehand, and asked Mikan for a pen, which he did not prepare.
> 
> Getting the okay from the detective, he started from the most basic question any person suffering from hanahaki was asked. 
> 
> “Are you in love?” he clicked the pen to prepare writing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, here's the next chapter. it was longer than i expected so i'm going to make this into a two part thing. i know the story is surprisingly slow at times and i'm sorry for that. anyways enjoy!

Mornings like this one were supposed to be enjoyed with friends. Those friends who you would be comfortable lying on the grass with, talking about nothing in particular and just enjoying each other’s company. Friends that were not by his side right now. Kaito frowned at the thought. The absence of his best mates, Shuichi and Maki could not be overlooked.

            He was a friendly person. Honestly, he prided in his ability to be on good terms with everyone, even though a few select would find him troublesome and hard to comprehend, for the most part, he was chummy with a great number of people. Maybe some were just indulging in his pushy attitude, as Maki would always say, _Kaito is more troublesome the more you deny him._ But that didn’t stop him from at least trying.

            The Ultimate Astronaut opted to not go to his Ultimate lab that day, there wasn’t much to do there – well something that he would presently be up for anyways. Kaito Momota was someone who acts based on his gut-feeling and today his gut was just not in the mood to progress his stats in being the Ultimate Astronaut.

            A fairly big lab was given to him by the school’s management when they enrolled in Neo Hope. Seeing such a large area modified just to accommodate him was such a sight to behold that he forgot basic human speech for a few minutes. The interior was just so amazing. Having a ceiling made of glass to watch the stars at night and just be covered during the morning was a nice touch. It was larger than his training center back at the space station. Heck, it looked quite countrified compared to his ultimate lab which was just provided by a fuckin high school. _Neo Hope’s Peak is seriously rich as hell._

            He got out of his daze when he noticed the stern look the assistant headmaster was giving him. Having an open-mouth with a little bit of drool coming out made his scout, Yasuhiro Hagakure, give out a hearty laugh which was immediately shut down by Assistant Kirigiri.

            “You can’t expect the boy to immediately settle Kiri,” he laughed once more, making the previous Ultimate Detective put a hand on her head. Kaito didn’t need a genius to figure out that the Ultimate Clairvoyant was not highly regarded by the Assistant but he kept his mouth shut and just roamed the area.

             His lab consisted mostly of objects and contraptions he could use in his training for his forthcoming space travel. Like the semi-spaceship which he uses to regulate his motion sickness, the zero-gravity room where, as fun as it was to just bounce around and generally goof-off, was used for making his body adapt to the conditions of space, such as _well_ lack of gravity. And his personal favorite, the simulation room where he could actually practice piloting a space craft, experiencing turbulence and all possible scenarios he would encounter.

            Being the youngest person who became eligible for space travel, he knew of the responsibility attached to it. High expectations were placed on him and he made those expectations his fuel to just keep on training. A second of rest was not acknowledge by someone who would explore the cosmos.

            In the midst of all that blood-pumping excitement, the genuine desire to hurry up with his training, the violet haired boy for once, just for today, wanted to skip it all and relax.

            On his personality alone, one would know how Kaito operates. He honestly liked living on the fast lane. After all, he was a hot-blooded man and nothing ever slows down the Luminary of the Stars! Especially if it was for reaching his goal, Kaito Momota was an unstoppable bullet. A straight shot towards the finish line.  He had been since he was just a small sparkle in the universe and he thought he would never change.

            _Something he was wrong about._  

            Kaito may be slow on the uptake on things, he often was the last one of the bunch to understand a situation, yet you cannot tell him he wasn’t aware of his own body. That would be beyond idiocy. Changes in his personality and demeanor would not go unnoticed, no matter how stupid others saw him.

            He changed when he entered Neo Hope’s Peak Academy. Particularly, when he decided to involve himself in the life of a certain demure detective.

            Shuichi wasn’t a daredevil type and rushed into things like he did. He was no “charge first, regret later” guy. Instead, the detective would take his time, think things over – or overthink depending on how Shuichi was feeling – and took it slow.

            Shuichi was intricate, taking in every aspect before doing anything and even doing a double take as if his careful nature would miss even the smallest detail. Shuichi’s meticulousness didn’t jive well with Kaito’s spontaneous identity at first. Taking things one at a time was not how the Ultimate Astronaut operated, but he wanted the get along with the boy so much that he let himself go with the other’s pace. And it was better than what he hoped.

            It was unfamiliar territory to Kaito. Actually slowing down and enjoying the present was something Shuichi liked to do, which the astronaut adopted during all the times they hanged out.

            They had a rotational system on who to follow when they wanted to do something. Shuichi, whenever it was his turn, aside from the occasional invite to some café outside or a trip to the library would suggest just loitering somewhere around the academy.

             Not very exciting. It was quite tame to whatever Kaito and Harumaki would suggest. But the two would always indulge in what the Ultimate Detective wanted.

            Days where they would literally do nothing but sit around a river bank to listen to the flow of the water or sit under a tree where the detective would just be reading a book while he and Harumaki leaned back, enjoying the breeze that occasionally passed by. Those instances were some of the moments Kaito always remembered vividly.

            They were uninteresting, nothing was going on and yet that was what made it worth remembering in Kaito’s opinion. Moments where company was what made it special rather than the event were rare in his life. Sometimes Kaede and Rantarou would join them, and though it would still feel great with only the Ultimate Assassin and Detective, their company was welcome all the same.

            No one around truly understood how much he treasured those “lazy Sundays” with his friends, as Kaede fondly calls them. Those days were rarely on a Sunday though.  

            The crisp morning air was still prominent when the boy decided to look up, peering through the leaves, he admired the clouds that lazily passed by. Sun-shining brightly, no matter how cheery the atmosphere was, it was not enough. _This just didn’t feel the same._ He let out an exasperated sigh, grabbing a handful of grass and throwing it out of frustration.

            Loneliness was creeping into Kaito’s being. He missed the company of his friends. He missed having their presence linger around him. It was childish of him to demand it. They were friends, not his servants and he didn’t have the right to claim their time as his own. He might not like the idea of being alone, but his friends’ lives did not have to always revolve around him.

            Shuichi obviously could not be with him because he was sick. What kind of friend was he to expect the detective to indulge in his selfish wishes. Seeing Shuichi healthy was top priority.

            The Ultimate Assassin was busy as well. When Maki was not with them, she would just be doing her own thing, locked up in either her dorm room or ultimate lab. Today however was different. Maki was with Kirumi, supposedly helping in preparing the food they would be bringing to their unwell friend. Despite how she looks Maki was a capable cook. Not as good as the Ultimate Maid but her experience as a caretaker for the younger kids in their orphanage would hone homely skills through the years of trial and error.

            Kaede was summoned to the academy student council room and did not return with Maki. He could crash the place though, he already did several times. Not caring if it was the normal slow day or when they were having a meeting, Kaito would straight up knock on the door of the council and they would immediately know it was him. Kaede, as much as she loved her idiotic companion, did not take a liking to his disturbance. She threatened to cut down their budget just to get him to stop.

            Kaito of course agreed. The other members of the club would have his neck if he let their budget go down another digit.

            Rantarou would probably be free right now, if he knew where the walking avocado was. The green-haired student was too true to his ultimate title and was rarely seen in one place. Sure, he would attend classes now but during the earlier part of their semester, he was always off to some place.

            The boy never explicitly said why he would always go on adventures. No matter how friendly he was, Rantarou Amami always had a mysterious aura going on with him. Kiyo would probably know where he was, they were friendlier with each other than one might expect, but Kaito was too creeped out by Kiyo at times that he was rather fine with their limited interactions.

            “No use throwing a hissy fit,” Kaito stood up, dusting off some of the grass and dirt that he had stuck on his pants. “Maybe Shuichi would appreciate it if I got him something.”

            With a newfound determination, he slung his jacket around his shoulders and began walking. A quarter past 10. Hope it was enough time be able to get back just before meeting with the others. Maki would have his head if he was just one second late.

* * *

 

            “That looks like shit.”

            Kokichi was blunt, not that anything else could have been expected of the small boy. A sense of tact was the last thing you might find whenever he was involved. A cheerful okay was heard from Gonta, as he placed another stuff toy back on the shelf, running to another aisle to find something worthy of Kokichi’s approval.

            Rantarou let out a sigh, exhausted by being pulled along the pace of the two ultimates he was with.

            They were currently in the mall nearby Neo Hope’s Peak, shopping for _the most suitable gift for the perfection called Shuichi Saihara_ as Kokichi put it _._ The three ultimates managed to convince the guards to let them out, using Rantarou’s ultimate talent as the foreground for the lie Kokichi used. The supreme leader effortlessly drew out the lie when they were questioned. It was somewhere along the line of having the ultimate adventurer needing to replenish his supplies for his next trip, and they were going with because they were gonna help bring them.

            He pulled it off flawlessly, not that it was not expected of the best liar.

            If it was from anyone in the 53rd class, they would have doubted it from the moment the ultimate opened his mouth. Luckily, there were still people who have not understood that lying was Kokichi’s nature and still fell for some of his more obvious lies.

            The purple boy made it his goal to find a gift today, that’s why he was snappier than usual. Gonta was the one running around actually making an effort to search for the same gift, to which Kokichi was standing around, judging whatever the gentle giant brought back. Rantarou had a hard time believing such a perfect gift would be found in a mall but the time constriction gave them no choice than put up to whatever means they had. _I’m sure Shuichi would appreciate any kind of gift. He was kind like that._

            Earlier, when they were interrogating Maki, he couldn’t believe that one of their classmates contracted one of the deadliest diseases known to man especially considering he was the shyest person the Ultimate Adventurer ever had the pleasure of meeting. The cool persona he normally had up was slowly deteriorating the more he listened to the account of the Ultimate Assassin, imagining the events in his head did not help.

            By the time she was finished, he had stopped processing everything around him. His concern took over and he was sure it was evident on his face. Worry was not enough to explain what he was feeling. All sort of horrible scenarios seeped into his mind, making it harder to control the dark feeling building up in his gut.

            He was glad he didn’t go on an adventure that day. If something ever happened to his friend while he was on his expeditions he wouldn’t be able to sleep for days.

            Shuichi had a special place in Rantarou’s life, contradictory to what other ultimates would say. Outside the 53rd class, nobody would believe that a character such as Rantarou Amami would concern himself with the shy detective but here he was, actively looking for a get-well gift that would suit the other.

            Obnoxious demands and laughter were heard across the store, obviously coming from Kokichi. His _nishishishi~_ hard to miss with how loud it was. The other customers were giving them a side eye, clearly uncomfortable with the antics going on, but no one voiced out to make them shut up. Maybe because they knew they were students of Neo Hope’s Peak, they were the only school that did not have a permanent prescribed uniform. Being a student there had quite the perks and everyone always gave them respect, no matter how lame the ultimate talent was.

            Another possibility was that they were too terrified of what they were seeing. A small boy barking orders at another three times their size without fear would definitely be something peculiar to an everyday audience. Being accustomed to such a sight was even more peculiar, but here Rantarou was, casually rummaging through articles of clothes that he thought would suit their bed ridden ally.

            When he first saw the detective, which was during the opening ceremony, he didn’t think much of him except that he was extremely gloomy looking. Borderline depressing and over-all pathetic with how much he hid behind his hat. Rantarou was not much of a person who judged based on a person’s looks but with Shuichi, he did not hold back. His dark-colored uniform complemented his aesthetic so much that it almost felt like fate intended for him to attend that specific school just because his appearance was perfect for the uniform. One glance was all Rantarou needed to form an opinion on the boy and it was not that great.

             The first impression of Rantarou Amami of Shuichi Saihara was that he was the _emo kid_ every class had. The one who was a background character and nothing else.

            Having the giddy and bright Kaede Akamatsu with him also didn’t help his already melancholic aura. When they were together, it showed how much he was lacking in terms of sociability compared to the social butterfly best friend. Rantarou always wondered how they managed to hit it off, their personalities not at all in proximity of one another. Maybe it was just Kaede being pushy, or Shuichi wanting to depend on the blonde, Rantarou was not quite certain.

            But it wasn’t that bad. It actually was something like a hidden blessing cause the way Kaede clung onto Shuichi was what ultimately got him interested in the boy. Curiosity turned into genuine desire to get to know him. Why in the world did he wear that hat? Why he lacked confidence when he spoke to other people beside his friends? Why was he always so cautious of his words? Question after question, until Rantarou let it get to him and decided to involve himself with the detective.

            In time, during the semester, where they spent time together due to some circumstances, he discovered things that made Shuichi more than the typical shy emo-looking kid in school, which is true to most people. Breaking his first impressions while maintaining some of the previous prejudice was something unique to Shuichi.  

            “Ouma-kun, you won’t find a gift at all with how picky you’re being.” He said, still examining the clothes rack. Rantarou didn’t need to look up to know he was heard by Kokichi. The small leader whipped his head towards him, and when Rantarou turned to face him, a look of _did you really just say that_ was evident on his face, which in return made Rantarou put his hands up as if to admit defeat.  

            Kokichi reasoned something out, the adventurer didn’t quite understand it but the other boy didn’t care if he did. A few hmps were let out before the supreme leader put on a satisfied smirk and went back to torturing Gonta with his incredulous demands.

             That was the end of _that_ conversation.

            Rantarou got bored witnessing the exchanges of the two ultimates and made an effort to look for a gift in another shop other than the one they were currently terrorizing. It was better than wasting his time and having no progress whatsoever.  

            He went to another section of the mall, knowing that wherever he went the other two would find him without missing a single step. Tracking people were one of the better skills both ultimates had. Checking to see if he had his wallet with him, he roamed the area he was in, passing by restaurants, clothe stores and other shops. After a while, Rantarou entered an establishment that had a quirky aura about it.

            It was a quaint little shop that had trinkets on display. The insides looked a bit more old-fashioned, maybe it was just how its interior design was, but it looked like something old Europe had back in the day. It had a general color scheme of blacks and grays, just having a splash of color from the items on sale, that it immediately reminded him of the detective. _Maybe this was where I would find his perfect gift._

            Adorning its walls were wall decors that ranged from Victorian era looking to a bit more of just a rustic feel. Vases, plates and a whole variety of knick-knacks were displayed, some even appeared to be artifacts and he made a mental note to show the store to Kiyo. The anthropologist would explode from glee in this store.

            The shopkeeper, a fairly aged woman, greeted him from behind the counter. Her large shawl covering her shoulders made her bigger than what she really was. From her looks, he could deduce she was somewhere between early 50’s. _Deduce? Shuichi’s speech really was rubbing off on him._

            It had been only a few minutes and he wasn’t planning on staying long, just needed to decide on the present and then meet up with the other two. With this shop having a lot of items to choose from, he can’t possibly leave empty handed.

            He was entertaining the thought of buying one of those matryoshka dolls, especially the one that looked like a bunch of frogs.

            Brushing aside a strand of hair from his face, Rantarou picked it up, examining it closer. The biggest doll in the bunch was well-crafted, with lots of details one would overlook if not careful enough. Knowing the Ultimate Detective however, he wouldn’t miss a thing. Rantarou knew that the detective would enjoy this as a gift. Shuichi, despite coming off as mature about everything, was still a child at heart and Rantarou found that _charming_ , reminding him of his siblings.

            The adventurer didn’t notice that a smile had formed while he was thinking about the Ultimate Detective and immediately pushed it away. As much as he likes remembering the boy, he needs to focus on the present.

            Putting his attention back to the dolls, he brushed his thumb on its surface, feeling the carving on the biggest one. He found them adorable, _much like how he found Shuichi,_ and not only did it look good but was practical in a sense. It could be used to pass time if someone would be stuck on a hospital bed, continually aiming to find all the subtle differences in each doll like those children books while also being a nice decoration. A sort-of keepsake toy that was gaining popularity as of late.

             A Rubik’s cube would also be okay. He had one with him when he caught the flu and was admitted to the hospital for about a week. It didn’t do much to make his stay note-worthy but at least he had something to do than listlessly waiting to be let out.

            “Knowing Saihara-kun, he might have already solved such things a few times already.” A chuckle escaped his lips, filling the small shop with its sound. It startled the old woman, but she was not angry. She even returned a smile when Rantarou turned to apologize for his noise.

            There was nothing else the green-haired boy saw as a potential gift so with his decision finally made, he took the frog matryoshka dolls and walked towards the counter.

            “Can I have it wrapped?” Rantarou asked kindly, to which the old lady nodded. He waited as she went to what he assumed was the back room of the shop to get a small box for what he bought. While waiting, he noticed a display of different jewelry placed on the counter top. They looked cute enough but its charm was far more sophisticated for it to be caught on to by the masses. If his piercings weren’t already _too much_ then he might have bought one as he did like to collect rare items.  

            Rantarou was about to dismiss the collection when he noticed a small earring. It was nothing special, in fact it looked so plain it was amazing that it even managed to get his attention. Despite his protest in having too many piercings already, curiosity got the best of him and reached out to the ornament.

            What had gotten him interested in the jewelry was the amber gem that accentuated the silver. It was small yet the way it shimmered in the middle of more gallant gems was hypnotizing to the ultimate. He placed it above, letting the light shine against it. The gem became much more mesmerizing in his eyes. Like it had the power over his very being.

            It reminded him of something. Something special. Something _beautiful._

            Then it hit him like an epiphany that Rantarou had no other choice but to acknowledge it. The color was much like the eyes of Shuichi. Those generally dull isabelline, borderline gray, eyes of his that would light up to a magnificent shade of golden ivory whenever he was pleased and brimming of joy. The eyes that reminded him of all the wonderful sunsets he had come across on his travels, warming his core whenever he witnessed it in person. Something in his brain was telling him to buy it like it was something he needed in his life.

            The earrings he had were more on the up-to-date side of the fashion industry. They were the trendy designs that most people of his age had, albeit smaller in quantity compared to him. It was more of a hobby on his part to buy them, yet he never saw a design quite like this one.

            At first glance, it was a plain earring, a circular base with a gem at the center, not much to work with and extremely common. But when he picked it up, he noticed a slim silver chain was affixed to the end of its supposed lock, on the other end of the chain was another earring with its own lock, and a small hoop attached. Between the two locks was a silver ring that had gem shavings so thin that it gave it the same amber like glow of the earring. Sparkling every now and then when the light was right.

            “Here you go young man,” the old woman spoke, pushing the small box which contained his purchase. The shopkeeper had been waiting to be noticed by the ultimate but he was too focused on the object in his hands.

            This startled Rantarou, making his body tense up as if caught committing a crime.  

            “Uhm, uh…” He didn’t know where to start. His thoughts left as soon as he noticed the shopkeeper staring while he was intently examining the earring in his hand. A bit embarrassed of his actions, he wanted to apologize. What was he apologizing for though? He wasn’t planning on stealing. Actually, apologizing would be more suspicious than brushing it off.

            His laid-back and cool personality had left him in his confused state. Now how in the world would he explain himself.

            “It’s fine, my boy,” the old woman was the first to break the silence.  “You don’t need to be so defensive. It’s not a big deal.” Laughter was maybe the last thing Rantarou expected in this circumstance but it was better than the cops being called. Not only would he get profiled by the police, they would notify the academy, he’ll get busted, they’ll discover he got out with Kokichi and Gonta and _they’ll_ get busted, and their parents would be called, and he would be in so much trouble. The chain reaction of events he played out in his head were better off as thoughts.

            His phone begun ringing a pop song, making him reach for it in his pocket. He checked the caller i.d. and saw Kiyo’s name was flashing on screen.

            He answered the call. “Oh hey.”

            “Where are you?” Kiyo’s voice was a bit muffled, must be because of his mask, but Rantarou could still understand. Being friends with Kiyo, he was certainly used to hearing his speech. “The mall, I’m here with Ouma-kun and Gokuhara-kun.”

             “Harukawa-san has told us to call the ones who were not here yet. It’s almost time, didn’t you guys notice?” In the background on Kiyo’s side he could hear the voices of his other classmates. Mostly Tenko angrily shouting at Angie. It must concern Himiko one way or another.

            “Yeah. Okay Kiyo. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Tell them to wait until we get back.”

            “Sure. Just hurry.” Their call ended and he stuff his phone back into his pocket.

            Rantarou turned to the counter and picked up the gift. He already set the earring back to where he first saw it and walked towards the door of the shop. Something was still bothering the adventurer, so he gave the shop one more glance over.

            A few minutes later, he left the store with his two purchases.

* * *

 

            “So that’s how to properly bandage a broken arm.” Tsumiki happily showed her current patient her work on the dummy’s arm. She brought it closer to the Ultimate Detective, careful not to disturb how the bandages were wrapped and not inconvenience her patient, she settled it on the bed, just in front of him. His fingers touched the sides of the dummy, turning it to see how it was all made. It may not have been a very exciting topic but it interested the detective all the same.

            Shuichi was still in bed at the infirmary. Sitting upright, and having nothing else to do, he had decided to engage in a conversation with the nurse. When he woke up coughing, he didn’t notice he was in the school infirmary, not until the nurse and someone he assumed to be a doctor rushed by his side and gave him medicine. Nurse Mikan was easy enough to recognize, she was a favorite topic of other ultimates in the academy with how she was clumsy and cute. The doctor however was not someone he was familiar with. Maybe a new hire.

             He didn’t exactly know how he got here, his last memory was when he was in the bathroom, a knock on the door and then poof everything was blank. Mikan explained that he was brought by two students. He asked who the two were but the nurse chose to remain silent. Their identities still hidden from the detective, made him wonder about his two saviors.

            Shuichi found a sense of camaraderie in the nurse. She was shy, like the detective, and was so soft-spoken, as if she was afraid that her words would cause the world to shatter. She was also jittery that it made Shuichi overcome his own shyness and be the one to reach out.

            Of course, the female nurse was startled by his sudden interest in her work. The patients she had did engage in small talk with her, none however were concerned about work. They would ask about her civil status – occasionally hitting on her – asked how she managed to look so youthful or even about her own wounds that adorned her body.

            Shuichi was the first one to ask about work and genuinely looked interested in learning.

            “Amazing,” Shuichi’s voice was laced with fascination, he lifted the dummy a little to investigate the bottom part. It really was done in the best possible manner that it held the dummy’s arm tightly in its position. “You’re really a great nurse, Miss Tsumiki.” It was involuntary on his part, the detective let out a smile he usually showed to his classmates.  

            Mikan didn’t know why her heart suddenly skipped a beat when the youth flashed her that eye-smile. It was the same feeling she felt when she was starting to develop a crush on Hajime. _Such behavior is not welcome in a school environment._ Tsumiki was just joking a little when she said Shuichi reminded her of Hajime. No way she would develop those same feelings for someone way younger than her, no matter how he resembled her previous love. That same love was even in the same room!

In her attempt to hide the blush that managed to creep up to her face, she didn’t notice she was edging too much from her seat and fell off of it. As she went down, she managed to bring with her a few extra sheets and bottles by the drawers. Shuichi looked away from the nurse in her _delicate_ position. Another reason she was famous around the academy was her clumsiness would always result to positions that are quite common in ero-games. Mikan Tsumiki was a living legend. He may be a teenage boy, but respect for the other would always need to come first.

* * *

 

            Hajime had been listening in on their conversation, his hands busy with mixing the various chemicals. His phone on the desk, waiting for the information he asked of Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Luckster and in a twist of fate, his assistant.

            When they graduated, all of them went their separate ways, making sure to spread the use of their talents to the world. His white-haired classmate went on a journey of self-discovery as he proclaimed to the whole class, and Hajime knew they were going to meet at some point, his talent did need him to travel a lot yet he never expected how frequent those meet ups would be. All the places he went, Nagito always managed to be there before him. By the 30th time they met up, Hajime’s certainty on it not being a coincidence was at its ultimate high.

            It might have been Nagito’s bullshit good luck at work, the boy was as passionate with him as a rabid fangirl of a boyband and everyone in the class knew. His feelings were borderline obsession, which creeped the brunette at first but just learned to take it all in and modulate it to his benefit. He would even be giving the world a favor if he kept a close eye on the menace.

            Making him his assistant would at least make him useful in some ways while giving the luckster his desire of being next to the Ultimate Hope. He took his phone from the desk and let it sink into his left pocket.

             After Shuichi had calmed down from his first _attack_ , administering another shot just for safe measure, Hajime asked Nagito to gather all the records of his previous stay at the hospital and find all of their other classmates’ contacts. He could only imagine the happiness on Nagito’s face when his name popped up in his phone. He may be Hajime Hinata’s personal assistant, but the brunette made sure he would rarely need to ask of Nagito’s service, much to the dismay of the luckster. Yet despite the lack of enthusiasm on the part of his _boss,_ Nagito always gladly followed his orders.

 

            When Tsumiki got herself into her usual schtick, he left whatever he was working on and helped his classmate up. She was a mess, making the Ultimate Hope let out a sigh as he lifted up the nurse from the floor. Hajime also noticed how Shuichi was looking anywhere else but the clumsy nurse. You don’t get to meet someone as considerate as that. _Another plus for you Mr. Saihara._

            “Tsumiki, can you get more of these chemicals at the back?” he handed out the list to Mikan and went to sit beside the bedside of Shuichi Saihara. He observed him once more.

            Hajime wouldn’t say he was someone who enjoyed making others fall for him, but Shuichi was certainly an expert at it. The way Shuichi was able to make Tsumiki open up so easily solidified his theory. The detective was a natural at making others open up to him, whether he knew it or not and being that good would certainly make others unconditionally fall in love.

            Social interactions may be normal. In fact, it is a necessity for humans to interact. These interactions develop the relationship, whether for better or for worse and Hajime had his fair share of having his relationships develop into something more than what he intended. Shuichi, as Hajime had seen in the few minutes, was exceptionally better than him at it. His personality and face were perfect for an up and coming Casanova. It was no wonder the complex hanahaki matured in his anatomy. 

            His ringtone startled Hajime. Notification upon notification flooded his phone, it was Nagito submitting whatever he found, with a few personal notes squished in between. Hajime disregarded the _spam_ messages from Nagito, which mostly composed of how much Nagito admired, desired, and loved the Ultimate Hope, and went straight to his records. If Shuichi had the same disease as he did when they were students, then there was only one way to cure him.

            “Uhm e-excuse…m-me … doctor?”  Shuichi had become extremely uncomfortable being gazed upon so intently by the older male. Hajime had been standing, in plain view of the detective, his focus entirely on the bedridden boy. His heterochromatic eyes scrutinizing his very soul made the pit of Shuichi’s stomach flip. Whether it was out of being scared or another feeling altogether was not something Shuichi could pinpoint at the moment. He couldn’t look straight at the doctor and decided to focus all his intentions on the bedsheets. Crumpling and straightening them out as if he needed to do it at that very moment.

            The nurse was easier to talk with, Shuichi couldn’t help but think. He knew how to handle those type of personalities, he was the same after all. The dark-brown haired man currently judging him was different. Shuichi knew with one look that he was the charismatic type. Those who had an overwhelming presence that demanded you look up to them.

            Kaito and Kaede may have been the closest people he knew who were like that doctor but he was far more superior. He may have looked like a normal guy, but his aura demanded dominance over anything else.

            The detective’s nerves were increasing ten-fold which the Ultimate Hope noticed. He didn’t mean to scare the poor boy. He was trying his best to act like Hajime, the approachable Hajime that had contracted the same hanahaki but his _Izuru_ still had ways to resurface. Hajime sighed, walking towards the empty seat beside the boy and sat, he didn’t miss the way the detective was analyzing him as he walked.

            “I’m sorry. Uhm. I mean for scaring you. Sorry…” He put a hand on the back of his neck, showing he was apologetic of the situation. It definitely became awkward with how intense he was looking at the boy, which, though Hajime did not like to admit, was more on the creepy side. An older male holding such a concentrated gaze on a sick _powerless_ boy would immediately cause police sirens to blare.

            “It’s ...fine. I know you didn’t mean it.” The apology made Shuichi more self-conscious, burying his body into more of the sheets. It would be presumptuous to think of the kind doctor to be a predator, but Shuichi has read enough _fanfiction,_ which he accidentally stumbled upon in one of his cases, to be careful at the very least. Those type of stories described him as easy prey, much to the dismay of the detective.  

            Hajime was desperate to dissolve the atmosphere they were currently in when he decided to make use of his own abilities of making other people feel at ease.  

            “Hey, are you from Spring Field Academy.” He decided to talk about the school crest on the detective’s chest pocket. A huge guess on his part. The crest was hidden that only a small part of the crest was shown beneath the sheets the detective was actively using to protect himself.

            It managed to ease up the tension a bit. Shuichi, still cautious, let it down to at least let Hajime see the crest in full view.

            “Ah yes. I am.” Shuichi sounded less nervous, Hajime a bit relieved.

            “I once went there to give a lecture. It was about a few novels I had written. What were they?” Hajime tapped his chin, looking through his memory on what novels were his topic at that specific high school. “Ahh! _Cynic_ and _The Ghost of You._ ”

             Shuichi immediately perked up hearing Hajime’s confession. Gone was the tension in the air from the previous exchange. Hajime didn’t deny that seeing the detective’s eyes sparkle like a child was the cutest thing he had seen today. “I remember that lecture! Kamakura-sensei is such an amazing writer of mystery!!” The way Shuichi fanboyed made Hajime stifle a laugh.

            As if Hajime’s words just sunk into Shuichi, his eyes grew at the realization that the man in front of him had been responsible for such lecture, he was the topic of his admiration.

            “AHHH! _You’re_ Izuru Kamakura! I’m…I’m a huge fan of your work!” It was the loudest Hajime had heard from the boy. He let out the chuckle he was holding, innocence like his were so rare these days that stumbling upon them was a blessing.

            When he was still in Hope’s Peak, he was tasked to write a few novels by the higher ups, to test if he really did acquire all the abilities and so he did. Never in his previous life would he see himself as a best-selling author and yet here he was, with a variety of skills his past self could only dream of.

            “Yup, that’s me. But I rather go by the name Hajime Hinata. Nice to meet you Saihara-kun.” He held out his hand which Shuichi accepted. Writing it under Izuru Kamakura was also an order from those above, not that he minded. Hajime could live without having his name attached to a million-seller book.

            “Ah, okay Mr. Hinata. I’m Shuichi Saihara…” he stopped and scrunched up his nose, noticing how he screwed up. “But you already called me by my name so you already knew…” His voice grew weaker with each word. “uh…so…yeah…nice to meet you too!”

            Yup, this boy was way too adorable.

* * *

 

            Returning from her errand, the scene that played out before her was the least she expected, but it was not out of place.

            Seeing the two boys talk as if they were long-time friends warmed Tsumiki’s heart. They even evolved to a relationship where they could exchange a few playful hits with one another. Tsumiki wondered when she last heard Hajime _that_ enthusiastic about a topic, having him throw in a laugh here and there, engaging himself in a conversation that was more for pleasantries than need. It was like seeing the real Hajime Hinata for the first time in a long while. It reminded her of a memory she thought was more of a product of her imagination than reality.  

            Mikan did not say it out loud but she was disappointed with how their school life changed Hajime.

            Hajime was the one who grew up too fast. The one who threw away his youth for the sake of the world. Being ultimates, they knew exactly what society expected from them and those expectations demanded their maturity. It didn’t matter if it would mess with them in the long run. Ultimates were only useful if they actually devoted to their talents at 100%. Something like childhood and a school life was only welcome at the very minimum. She hated how Hope’s Peak was cold like that, yet she was always thankful for the school since she met everyone she considers family right now.

            A feeling of guilt crept up into the nurse’s heart. Mikan was in no position to feel regret, as she always tells herself. They were part of the reason that Hajime turned into the Ultimate Hope. With how much she boasted the closeness of their class, only one person tried to stop the boy from undergoing the experiment, and if only they backed her up, then maybe they would have never lost Hajime to Izuru.

            However, that was all in the past now. Hajime was a bit better, his personality may still be a bit stiff, but he was genuinely trying to regain what he lost, and that was enough for now. Everyone in their class also decided to do their best, not only for Hajime’s sake, but as to carry out _her will._

            “Ahh, Tsumiki welcome back.” Hajime greeted, just noticing the nurse as she was watching the two dark haired boys with their banter on the newest mystery novel _Izuru Kamakura_ wrote.

            “Welcome back Miss Tsumiki.” Being the ever-polite boy, he was, Shuichi gave her a curt bow, making Hajime nudge his head like a big brother on his younger sibling. It was cute … at first. The friendly exchanged went longer than what she anticipated. This made Mikan’s irises grow to a size of panic.  

            “Hinata-kun!” Mikan squealed. “Do not be so rash with the patient!”

             She hurried to pry Hajime’s arms away from Shuichi, her hands evidently smaller than both males doing little to loosen the Ultimate Hope’s grip. Hajime did not budge one bit, letting his arms wrap around the shoulders of the young boy, trying his best to get on the nerves of his classmate. The other boy not minding the sudden skinship from his idol.

            Their mood was still playful but she couldn’t risk it. Shuichi was a patient for god’s sake, he was even admitted because of a deadly disease! As much as she loved Hajime getting friendly with the young detective, she was not in favor of him adding to her worries. How did Shuichi tolerate such behavior from his doctor was a mystery to Tsumiki but as the previous ultimate nurse, she was determined to have Shuichi go out of this infirmary cured, and not having more injuries than when he came in.

            It took most of Mikan’s strength, and maybe her sanity as well, before Hajime stopped being a douche and let go of his hold on Shuichi. There were no visible marks on the detective, which Mikan was grateful for, but she didn’t let it slide and gave Hajime a very stern scolding. Of course, her words fell on deaf ears, not like Hajime would admit to that. If he did, it would lead to another lecture and he was not in the mood.

            _It was just friendly horseplay_ was not what the nurse wanted to hear from Hajime, and she especially did not want to hear the detective defend him. It was behavior that did not sit well with Mikan, which eventually led to another scolding, now Shuichi included in Mikan’s wrath.

            Shuichi was regretting going with Hajime’s plan. Setting aside the clear admiration he felt for the Ultimate Hope, the mischievous side he had, a side he clearly adopted from someone, was begging to play around with the emotions of his nurse. That was a wrong move on his part. Maturity left him the moment he saw the nurse around the corner of the divider, peeking through the curtains and watching the two of them. He managed to somehow understand the silent message Hajime shot to him, and played along.

            It was childish, stupid and a bit cruel.  Mikan didn’t do anything, in fact, she was extremely helpful. Shuichi was already planning on doing something for the nurse, as a way of apologizing for his behavior.

            When their feelings were settled, the comfortable silence that surrounded the infirmary engulfed it once more. Hajime began working on his chemicals, Mikan did get what he asked for, and Mikan cleaning up the mess she previously made from her clumsy action earlier.

            The two people who kept him entertained through this whole stay were now busy, leaving Shuichi to find another form of entertainment. In the end the ultimate decided to flip through the book that Mikan let him borrow. It wasn’t anything special, actually it was just a book on different herbal medicines.

            He would rather have a mystery novel in his hands, what he would do just to get his own copy of his doctor’s current book release, but he appreciated whatever he had for now. A patient bounded to a hospital bed should not be so picky. _Herbal medicine knowledge_

            “Hey, Saihara-kun,” The low voice of his attending doctor reverberated, making him look up and meeting his eyes. He still wasn’t used to maintaining eye contact with Hajime so as soon as his eyes met with the red and golden pair, he immediately tried to look everywhere but there. His vision landed on the clock on the wall, noticing it had actually moved a whole hour from his last update on it. He was so engrossed in his book that time went by really fast. “You hungry?”

            Hajime didn’t wait for his reply before tossing a sealed pack of bread to the unsuspecting detective, a piece of the same bread already hanging from his mouth. The raven-haired youth replied with a soft _thank you_ but he didn’t open it, only placing it by his side, along with the book he was reading. Hunger was the least of his worries, he didn’t even feel any pang of hunger even though he didn’t have a heavy breakfast. Was the hanahaki the sort of disease that numbs his basic instinct?

            Taking a seat just in front of Shuichi, Hajime continued to munch on his bread, occasionally checking his phone on updates from Nagito. He propped his feet up to the desk, much to the dismay of Mikan. She wanted to take back whatever she said on Hajime growing up too fast. Right now, he was a bit immature, being messy with his lunch, and not having the decency to take off his shoes before propping it up.

            Before another lecture could start, Hajime spoke up, “Saihara-kun, let me ask you several questions, is that okay?” He prepared a notepad beforehand, and asked Mikan for a pen, which he did not prepare.

            Getting the okay from the detective, he started from the most basic question any person suffering from hanahaki was asked.

            “Are you in love?” he clicked the pen to prepare writing.

            The abrupt question on his romantic status came out as un-feeling, delivered as straightforward as a job interview. _So no beating around the bush eh?_

            Shuichi thought back for a while. It would make sense if he was, the hanahaki was a disease that takes form in a person in love, unrequited to be precise. On who he places such feelings were what he was entirely clueless about.  He wasn’t apathetic, he felt a variety of emotions for everyone in his life, but they were not in the scope of romantic love. The most logical response here would be “Yes,”.

            “Please refrain from putting in a logical stance on this Saihara-kun.” Hajime replied, his attention on his notepad.  Confusion was evident on Shuichi’s face. Then how should he answer? Logic was his forte after all.

            “Just…answer with emotion, no overthinking. I don’t need a scholarly response. Just…” His words faltered when he met with Shuichi’s bewildered expression.  

            It was definitely hard to convince a detective to give up their logic in exchange for unreasoned answers. Shuichi, being an apprentice detective and all, was sticking with his principle of logic being the best. Hajime’s insistence on leaving it behind just made Shuichi have a boatload of confusion. Surrendering his principles, he tugged the boat with him, answering without applying his logic.

            Trying his best to let go of said logic, Shuichi continued answering.

            “Okay, let’s go back to the first question. So Saihara-kun, are you in love?”

            “No.” he said with conviction.

            The answer came out easier than Hajime expected. He nodded towards the boy and continued his questioning. It was easier now with Shuichi disregarding any reservation he previously had.

* * *

 

            “He’s asleep now Hinata-kun.” Mikan slowly closed the divider, throwing one last glance at the now resting figure of Shuichi. He looked comfortable enough. Hajime, setting his pad down, poured the chemicals he had been brewing into a small bottle, gave it to Mikan and proceeded to input his findings onto the academy’s database.

             Questioning had been quick enough, no other delays aside from the first one they encountered. Shuichi, as what Hajime expected, was 100% cooperating with him, giving only direct answers with almost no reasoning behind them. Pure instinctive answers were what he was looking for and true enough that was what he got. What really mattered to him were the yes and no.

            His fingers were quick to type, a barrage of letters and other words formed each passing second, wasting no time to even make a single error. He also opened the files that Nagito had transferred to him, while simultaneously getting the information he gathered uploaded.  Looking at the computer being filled up with such speed, it made Mikan feel a little bit dizzy, she wasn’t a wiz at technology, only at those required for treating others, and even at that it was at the most basic necessity.

            “Tsumiki?” Hajime called out to the nurse, his eyes not leaving the computer and fingers still endlessly pressing onto the keyboard. “Can you please call those who brought Saihara-kun here? I need to talk to them.”

Understanding the request, Mikan nodded as a response and was about to leave the infirmary. When she opened the door however, she did not expect something to be standing right outside, almost bumping into them. She was greeted by a variety of faces from the 53rd class, all carrying something in their arms.

            “Ahh, Miss Tsumiki.” She recognized the red-eyed brunette immediately, she was the one in front, the one she almost collided with. “Can we…uhm see Saihara-kun?”

            “Oh – I its … I was just about to get you… come in.”

            _Welp. Getting them was actually pretty easy._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp. ~~shuichi and hajime bonding is such a cute scene for me~~   
>  after the part 2 of this specific chapter i might have shorter chapters cuz well reasons. hahaha


	4. Into the Meadow - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gifts that ranged from store-bought to personally made were presented to him like it was their pride and joy. Hajime thought it was unbelievable that the detective was just gone for a day. Their efforts warranted at least a month of absence from class not a few measly hours.
> 
> It was ridiculous yet at the same time charming.
> 
> Just how deep were they all in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyy part two. i haven't edited this yet so sorry for any mistakes. an important announcement at the end of this chapter. enjoy~~

            If someone were to see them now, no one would believe this was a room full of ultimates who were said to be the hope of humanity.

            Those that would bring a bright future for the world. No, it was impossible to picture them as anything else but a group full of idiots all screaming at each other and just being chaotic.

            The 53rd class was doing everything humanely possible to destroy their classroom via being themselves.

            They started off normal, when it was just Maki and Kirumi in the room, but the more ultimates that piled in, the less peaceful the classroom became. Their rendezvous spot was their classroom after all.

            They had previously decided to meet at the front of the infirmary, but somewhere along the way, Tsumugi proposed that they meet up in the classroom first.

            “Well, if we grouped up outside the infirmary … it would be a bit troublesome – I mean for the other students, not for us.” Tsumugi explained to her remaining classmates – particularly Miu, Keebo, and Ryoma.

             It made sense, if they followed through it, 15 students of differing sizes would have blocked the pathway, being a general pain in the ass to anyone who might have just passed by. If news got out of their misbehavior, they would get called again to the Headmaster’s Office, a trip they don’t want to take.

            Out of all the Ultimate classes here, they are the ones who are often called to head up to the headmaster’s office for some shit they have done, which unbelievably, has its own pros and cons. On the up side, the headmaster is quite familiar with them now, even greeting them during his morning rounds, even being known as a generally nice dude, being on closer terms to the head of your school was a different sensation altogether. On the down side, the assistant headmaster was as familiar with them, maybe even more, which meant they had no excuse to present whenever Assistant Kirigiri’s glare flashed at their direction.

            Her instincts would always tell her when any member of the class was around the perimeter, and if they would likely destroy something during that stay.

            “Well then, I’ll leave it to you Keebo to inform the others of the change of plans.”

* * *

 

            The soft clinks of silverware were the only sounds that were heard while the two ultimates were properly setting up what they had cooked. They didn’t partake in any small talk, both keeping to themselves, not that it was bothering them, there just wasn’t anything to talk about.

            Maki and Kirumi were the first ones back, seeing as Kirumi went ahead of them, the pig-tailed girl only following once they dispersed. When Maki entered the Ultimate Maid’s lab, she was half-way done in preparing various side dishes and appetizers, the amount enough for a gathering with their classmates.

            Maki, to pursuit her original goal before entering Kirumi’s lab, prepared some porridge, a specialty of hers, not like she would admit it though. She often made some for the sick kids at the orphanage and they often told her it was good, the best even. She knew she could never top whatever Kirumi had made but porridge was the easiest to intake for those unwell and was the easiest to cook on such short notice. She just needed to make do with what she could.

            Kirumi, aside from the other dishes she got ready to serve at hand, made some desserts for everyone to share – cookies, scones, choux crème and some pudding which was specifically for the detective.

            She remembers his preference for gelatin during their many tea breaks at the student council. Kirumi wasn’t a member, nor was Shuichi, but they were often called over for favors, and sometimes, as a token of their appreciation, they were invited just to have some tea. She took note how the detective would choose certain flavors above others and never left the tea party without devouring at least one of her handmade pudding.

             Shuichi might have needed something sugary, Maki thought, and asked Kirumi to prepare the sweets. Not that Kirumi needed any prompting, desserts were already on her to-do list.  

            Kirumi, stoic and unfeeling as she was, hated how she felt so useless at this crucial point in time. Even with her knowledge on medicine, she was nothing compared to a previous ultimate. It was much better to have a former Ultimate Nurse take care of him rather than the Ultimate Maid taking into consideration specialty and all.

            The desserts were what she could do at the moment, hoping that her care for the detective be properly passed through the desserts.  

           

            Letting Kirumi handle the placements and other cutlery, Maki’s thoughts wandered to her plan. The plan to have the class have lunch with Shuichi still needed some details arranged, the venue for one was still uncertain.

            Maki recounted the surrounding rooms at the infirmary, remembering an empty conference room when she and Kaede were heading back. The infirmary was big enough to fit all of them, even having room for another class if necessary but a plan B in case the nurse didn’t let them eat there wasn’t bad.

            Maybe, if Nurse Tsumiki didn’t agree with the class invading the infirmary for a picnic, she could convince her to let Shuichi eat with them in another place, the conference room was near and roomy enough. Permission from the student council could be handled by Kaede so they weren’t breaking any rules. It was a thorough plan if the assassin could say so herself.

 

            When the three girls, namely Himiko, Tenko and Angie walked in, a bit of noise surfaced but not sufficient to categorize as rowdy.

            Tenko and Angie were arguing, _like this was anything new_ , more on the side of Tenko since Angie mostly just goes with anything, laughing as if she knew Tenko was just bluffing with her threats of Neo-Aikido. Himiko focusing on her _magic book_ and basically just avoiding her friends as they argued, greeted the two ultimates before them and took a seat.

             Korekiyo’s and Ryoma’s addition mustered a few reactions, mostly confusion, still, not enough to ensue chaos.

            The combination was unusual, the tall lean young man beside his opposite, they were like father and son. Ryoma’s height was emphasized when he stood beside the anthropologist, clearly the second tallest of the males in their class. The duo earned an odd look from Kirumi. “I didn’t know you and Shinguuji-kun were close.” Kirumi whispered when Kiyo was out of earshot, deciding to ignore everyone and open a book of his own. The cover read; “Ang Alamat ng Daragang Magayon” surely another tale from some foreign land.  

            Kiyo, as cool looking as he was, gave Kirumi the creeps. His over-all appearance was not helping his case - his military uniform, tone of voice, heck even his ultimate talent was disturbing when piled on top of each other, which was exactly who Kiyo was.  He was popular outside their class, he was the typical pretty boy, but Kirumi thought that anyone who decides to fall for the ultimate anthropologist was submitting themselves to their own deaths.

            Kirumi never expected Ryoma to bond with the other, even when Ryoma has actually been to prison, their tag team was an unlikely match up. Kiyo who was just often _suspected_ of being an offender may be more dangerous than someone who served their time.

             Kirumi’s cautiousness elicited a soft chuckle from the Ultimate Tennis Pro.

            Kiyo was obviously strange but suspecting him to this extent was ludicrous. He knew that the boy meant no harm, _for now_.

            Ryoma explained that they just coincidentally bumped into each other at the front yard. Both were at their own respective labs, not bothering to go out until their eventual meet up.  Walking back together to the classroom was an impromptu thing.

            “Hey, it’s almost time. Can someone call the people who are not here yet?” Maki sneered as she noticed there wasn’t much time left before lunch would be announced. _They actually managed to disappoint me._

            She had repeated it till they all look tired of her nagging that they needed to be around their meet-up point before eleven, showing up one by one would only inconvenience Miss Tsumiki – there was a strength in numbers after all - but half of her classmates were still missing. She also knew they received the new meet up point, Keebo was useful for disseminating information.

            Even the idiot Kaito was nowhere to be found, she was extremely sure he would be the first one here since it concerned his best bro. _Kaito won’t be getting off the hook easily._

            Some of the ultimates who heard her, which could be counted on one hand, did as she said. Kiyo pulled out his phone and pressed call on Rantarou’s contact info. It didn’t take long for the boy to pick up, getting updated on the state of things in the classroom. Ryoma was the one who communicated with Miu, who was with Keebo and Tsumugi, and got the okay as well. The three-spent time together at Miu’s lab, planning their own little surprise.

            “We’ll be there. Hold your fucking orgasms or are all of you such easy shoo-" Ryoma ended the call before Miu could finish whatever raunchy thing she was going to say.

            Kirumi was the one tasked to call Kokichi, since she was one of those who the boy would actually listen to. He did call her his _mom_ when they just started their semester. She was also part of the select few who does not immediately get pissed at the boy’s attitude so she was perfect for the job.

            There was no way in hell Maki would be the one to call the rat. _She didn’t even have his number saved._

“He’s not answering.” Kirumi informed the assassin after the 8th unanswered call. Maki cursed under her breath. Not knowing whether she was pissed or relieved the shit-stain was unavailable. That pest must have put his phone on silent or he was testing the quickly fading patience she had with him. Both options completely possible.

She waved a dismissing hand, totally fine with the absence of the ultimate.

            “Let the horrible smurf be. It’s better if he doesn’t come to the infirmary with us. Even better if he stayed away from Saihara.”

            “And who are you referring to as a _smurf_ Harukawa-chan? _Nishishishi~_ ” _Speak of the devil._

            It all went south the moment Rantarou’s group arrived, the instigator being the Ultimate Supreme Leader.

            The door opened, the three ultimates clearly came from the nearby mall, each had their own share of plastic bags at hand with Rantarou having the fewest. He was only carrying one plastic bag, a present peeking out, not bothering to hide it better.

            The ultimate adventurer entered nonchalantly, heading straight for a seat beside Kiyo. He greeted the other ultimate, clearly tired from being around his two companions. 

            Along the way, Kokichi kept complaining about his legs being tired and that a supreme leader should not be doing such menial stuff like walking which Rantarou found ridiculous. He just wanted to be carried and Rantarou was not having any of that. Rantarou smartly walked away, leaving Gonta to take care of the spoiled leader.

            Gonta, carrying plastic bags on one hand, and the other used to keep Kokichi steady on his shoulders, made his way to the front of Maki and Kirumi, placing the bags down. Like the gentleman he was, he was extra careful in putting down whatever they had bought.  

            Kokichi jumped down from Gonta’s shoulder, landing perfectly in front of the Ultimate Assassin. With the way Maki was glaring at the leader, he knew that just his mere presence induced it. _Harukawa-chan is too predictable._

            “I have every right to visit my beloved Saihara-chan as you all. We are all chummy-buddy classmates here!” His tone playful, the leader bounced towards his _mom._ He took one cookie from the tray she was holding and put it in his mouth, crumbs falling to the floor, irking the neat freak in Kirumi. He noticed the odd flavor of coffee that lingered on his tongue after he ate the cookie – it was one of his beloved’s favorite. He resisted the need to smile.

He not only looked like a child, Maki thought, he behaves like one as well.

            His manner, however, did a total 180 the moment he finished munching on the cookie. Facing the ultimate assassin with the same amount of disdain she normally shows him, he clicked his tongue. “But if any of you get in the way of me meeting him,” Kokichi shoved his face closer to the girl, knowing full well what reaction he was going to get. “ _Then we can forget about all about being buddies_.”

            Kokichi morphed his face into the expression that gave most of his classmates’ goosebumps and be wary of the short ultimate. They even gave it a name – devil Ouma – seeing it was infamous among them as the thing that will haunt your dreams if you stare too long.

            “ _Back away you fucking abortion.”_ Maki’s words were laced with such poison that any normal human would immediately freeze on the spot. She hated how Kokichi didn’t understand what personal space was.

            It turned the atmosphere in the room into something hostile, making everyone stop what they were doing and quietly witness the battle between their friends.

            A Maki – Kokichi showdown was not foreign in their class. It was actually weirder for it not to happen at some point in the day. No one could count how many times Kokichi has managed to piss off the Ultimate Assassin, which one should never do, and almost die. Fortunately, it never reached the point where Kokichi would be knocking on heaven _or hell’s_ door, though some of the ultimates wished that the constant choking would at least damage the leader’s vocals for a month to lessen the quips and rants of the little trickster. They deserved some peace and quiet.

            As normal as it was however, never did they know how to stop it especially when it involved weapons. It was the fear of getting caught in the crossfire that always stopped them from intervening.  

            Kokichi had no intention of backing down from Maki today, he was continuing to stare her down, which annoyed the assassin even more.

            He could dismiss it, that was how the assassin normally regarded him and _normally_ the supreme leader wouldn’t give a damn yet he just couldn’t let it go this time. He was irritated by how the assassin assumed it was better he didn’t see his beloved, like he was some kind of plague that was more poisonous than beneficial. He _knew_ it would be better if Shuichi didn’t meet him. Kokichi didn’t need Maki to remind him of it, he was doing it fine on his own.

            He knew he was an ass most of the time, he notices the way Shuichi tenses whenever he plays his pranks, hugs him from behind or whenever he was in earshot, Shuichi was in no way subtle. But Shuichi was nice, he was the nicest for Kokichi Ouma that he constantly tells himself that he doesn’t deserve meeting the boy. And for all it was worth, his niceness would always bring out the selfishness in the Ultimate Supreme Leader.

            Despite his dislike for Kokichi’s demeanor, Shuichi still accepted him, letting him lie in their conversations, play games whenever he got bored and overall just be himself. The detective even told the class that they shouldn’t try to change Kokichi – _he’s fine just the way he is_. Words that would replay in the Ultimate Supreme Leader’s mind to the deepest of the night.

            Shuichi was the only one to appreciate having a living headache like him as a part of his life – no matter how hard it was. No one understands the Ultimate Supreme Leader as much as the Ultimate Detective. _That’s why Kokichi loved him so much._

            He was determined to visit the detective, not caring if that desire led to grievous injuries in the process. Nothing was stopping him from being there for his beloved – even if such obstacles were not meant to be taken seriously.

            Maki already had one of her daggers at hand, while Kokichi extending his arm to a plastic bag, reaching for the army knife they spontaneously bought. Himiko was afraid that it might actually escalate to a full-on fight between the two, her mouth trying to make a sound, to get them to stop, but nothing came out. None of them had the courage to do so, or the ability to end the inevitable clash.

            There were only two people in the whole class that dared get between Maki and her rage or Kokichi and his tricks and one of them was currently in the infirmary. Where was Kaede when you needed her?

            Maki shifted her grip on the dagger and Kokichi pulled out his swiss-army knife, pointing it at their female classmate. Everyone was bracing themselves, self-preservation their first priority.

            Before a bloodbath happened in the classroom, the door opened loudly – as if a God was watching over them, the person on the other side was the Ultimate Pianist, behind her the Ultimate Astronaut, carrying a few bags of their own. Their presence produced silent cheers from the crowd. Kaede was here, no more need to worry. This situation was now under control.

            “Hey everyone! What…” she greeted them, expecting to be greeted in return but when she noticed the general lack of noise and saw the frightened expression of her fellow ultimates she knew exactly what was happening.

            She had seen worse from those two, they actually managed to break a bone during their Phys. Ed. when an argument broke out over a stupid game of dodge ball but the toxin in their eyes were at the highest level she had ever witnessed. What happened to let these two become like this, the pianist couldn’t help but wonder.

            “Okay cut it out you two.” She started, putting her arm in between the two ultimates then her whole body. It was a risky way to stop them, it puts herself in danger, but it was effective on Maki’s part. She always stopped whenever Kaede puts herself in the middle of her arguments.

            “Oh, I’ll cut something alright!” _Sometimes effective on Maki’s part._ If she gets Maki to behave, then more than 75% of the problem was solved. Why was this not working right now?

            “Bring it grandma red-eyes.” Kokichi hissed, taunting the assassin with his finger. This wasn’t a good sign. Kokichi was as seriously signing his own death warrant with the way he was acting.

            Before Maki could lunge forward, directing her dagger at Kokichi’s throat and before Kokichi could respond with a slash of his own weapon, Kaede pushed the purple trickster back with all the strength her body could muster, into Rantarou, who amidst the chaos, got up and stood behind the supreme leader – readily catching the boy. He snatched the pocket knife and threw it to Gonta, successfully disarming the Ultimate Supreme Leader.

             Kaito also sprang into action, grabbing Maki by the shoulders, flicking away the dagger in her hand, sliding right beside Ryoma, who then proceeded to kick it under the cabinets at the back.

            The boys held a tight grip onto the quarreling ultimates, making sure they were incapacitated enough to not cause any damage to the other.

            With Kokichi’s small stature, you’d think it was easier to subdue him, his constant flailing however was as much as a challenge as Maki’s overwhelming strength. Gonta offered to help the astronaut in training in restraining her.

            Kaito appreciated it.

            The two ultimates, irritated at the interruption and further incapacitation, resolved to just spew out profanities and other colorful renditions of the language, aimed at not their apprehenders but at each other.

            “Stop acting like kids!” Kaede scolded, her disbelief showing on her features. She was not in the mood to entertain their attitude today. “You are adults,” she looked at Maki and then Kokichi “and ultimates, so for the love of God, will both of you start acting like one!”

            Her voice was loud but it wasn’t intimidating, it actually held a motherly tone, a tone everyone in their class had grown accustomed to. The atmosphere softened and the other ultimates backed up Kaede’s lecture.

_Right, you two shouldn’t fight. Friends should be friendly._

                        _I don’t care about your issues, just stop scaring Himiko with your sharp objects._

            _I wasn’t scared! I have magic with me. But nyeh, get along._

                        _Ahh, human reactions are always fascinating._

                                                _Nyahahaha, so divine! Atua wants everyone to get along!_  

            Kaito and Rantarou let the two troublemakers sit on the floor, standing close enough to restrain them if they thought of continuing their little bout. _They were definitely not internalizing whatever was being said to them._ Kaede knew that they needed to address this issue someday, her life shortens every time she needs to step into their fights. Now was as much as a perfect time as any other.

            Maki was a smart girl, a professional in all aspects. She never let her personal relations affect her job, and everything she did was executed to perfection. She might have messed up from when she first started doing this job, but her track record was the most impressive Neo Hope’s Peak had ever seen, the rationale on why they got interested in the first place.

            Many thought that Headmaster Naegi went crazy – letting a hired killer into his school full of young _impressionable and feeble_ ultimates (they clearly haven’t met the other psychos in this school) – and maybe he really did. Makoto Naegi was young and looked like he was innocent to the cruelty of the world. He was the first-person Maki identified as 100% non-threatening. _A true to the core nice guy._

              During Maki’s entrance interview, conducted when she just turned 15, the headmaster as well as the assistant headmaster did not look at her with eyes filled with fear. For the first time in a long while, she felt like she was normal. A normal high school student getting interviewed for her entrance exam.

            “Harukawa-chan?” the headmaster spoke in such a sweet voice that she wondered if he drank honey.

            When an invitation came from the academy addressed to the little assassin, she was immediately suspicious of it. Only those acquainted with the underground would have heard of her, much more on the location of their headquarters. If this wasn’t from a client or an enemy clique, she didn’t know where it came from.

             She carefully teared the envelope, half-expecting a time bomb inside, and was surprised to find just fine personal paper with the dry seal of the academy attached.

            “ _Greetings Ms. Maki Harukawa of Brave Heart Hall High School. We wish to inform you of your qualification as a student in Neo Hope’s Peak Academy. To finalize said admission, an interview will be conducted at Somethingber Nth of the year 2xxx.  We extend heartfelt congratulations to you and hope you grace us with your presence”_

What shocked her more was the fact that her boss encouraged her to go.

            “You’re extremely talented,” He looked at her with such hopeful eyes. “And Neo Hope’s Peak welcomes every bit of that. We know we could help in cultivating your talent, but to make that happen, we need you to trust us. Enter the school and with our abilities, we will let your talent bloom.”

            “ _Do you wanna die?”_ Her habit slipped out. They were talking crazy. Why would a school aiming for greatness enter a person such as her? Her talent was dangerous, that was a no brainer, and these two wanted to cultivate such a dangerous talent to its utmost potential. They were definitely not right in the head.

            She saw that Naegi winced, but it was more of a habit rather than fear. As if his life wasn’t just threatened, he continued the interview with the same gusto from when it started. He was really weird duck.

            Maki signing the contract on her admission was one of the best things she ever did.  

            Entering Neo Hope, she learned how to control her emotions to a much greater extent. Kaede knew that, she had been present during one of the one on one lessons for the assassin.

Yet Kokichi always manages to push all the right buttons to put her into kill mode.           

            Kokichi was the problem. He rarely follows their words, saying that a supreme leader has no business listening to common folk. The only time he gives a damn about their opinions is when it comes from Shuichi’s mouth. But still, that wasn’t enough to calm the storm named Kokichi Ouma. If Shuichi tells him to behave, he will, for only a limited time though.

            The longest he went quiet was a week, and that was only because Shuichi refused to talk to him after he failed to keep his end of the bargain.

            It was their school project and Shuichi warned Kokichi not to do anything that would ruin their presentation – it was important for the detective because Assistant Kirigiri was in attendance and the boy admired the assistant to the moon and back. That was one of the rare times Shuichi took charge and wasn’t so meek in giving out orders, confidence present in his stature.

            Kokichi promised a promise he couldn’t keep. It was Shuichi’s mistake to trust his words. Surprisingly, no one believed that he was capable of not doing anything to mess with it even a little bit and they were right.

            When Shuichi learned that the leader was sabotaging the project by putting live crabs in some of the props, he didn’t crack a smile or any other emotion. Maybe he was angry that time, Kaede wasn’t sure, but the way he exited the room with not much as a whisper was unnerving.

             An apathetic look on Shuichi was one of the things that absolutely unnerved the pianist. It didn’t suit his personality at all, well it didn’t suit Kaede’s understanding of Shuichi’s personality.  

            Kaede remembered vividly how the purple haired boy was so dejected every time her best friend ignored his presence, talking to another ultimate to avoid any contact with him, not acknowledging how he was clinging to his arm, begging for some attention, even going as far as to leave the room whenever Kokichi was near.  

            It continued for a week, and Kokichi looked less and less himself. Kaede felt so bad for the supreme leader whenever she saw his effort to apologize to the detective that was disregarded by the latter as soon as it was given. She thought that even Kokichi didn’t deserve such harsh treatment.

            She tried talking Shuichi out of it, to actually listen to what the small boy was saying, but he was firm. “I won’t stop. Not until Ouma-kun learns his lesson.” Was all he said before going off to his ultimate lab, not to be seen for the rest of that day. It was amazing how Shuichi managed to act so cold during that period when he was the one who was always understanding of all the troublemakers in their class.

             Each time Kokichi was ignored, he fought back tears that welled up in his eyes. He was desperate to hide it from the others, an evil supreme leader mustn’t show real tears after all, and tried to convince everyone he was fine but anyone around would notice that the raven-haired boy’s attitude was getting to him.

            The chatterbox of the class suddenly went quiet and meek and the nice guy was being overly unsympathetic to the former. That week was the most vulnerable Kokichi Ouma had been.

            She never remembered why they patched things up. Shuichi was adamant in his behavior that somewhere in her mind, she believed Kokichi was never going to be forgiven.

            His last attempt was the one that managed to break their stalemate.

            The day after a week of being ignored, Kokichi sauntered up to the detective, his lips quivering and hands visibly shaking, trying to get the words _good morning_ out. Each step closer to the boy made his heart quicken at a pace which was new to him. At the back of his head, rejection was already predicted.

            Kaede prepared herself to intervene in case Shuichi continued his dunderheadedness, she couldn’t stand the awkward atmosphere anymore, but the detective didn’t leave his seat when Kokichi greeted him– progress compared to before - and stared at the boy for a few minutes, his expression unreadable.

            Kokichi wanted to run around the room, scream into his ears, even kick the detective, all to get some type of reaction from him. Only the Supreme Leader knew how much Shuichi’s apathy withered down his being.

            Seconds passed, feeling like hours to everyone watching, neither ultimate moving an inch. If you disregard the slow movement of his chest, you would have thought that the detective was put on pause, staring back at the boy who greeted him with such jitters.

            Kokichi was about to turn his back on the detective, his efforts wasted, when a smile broke out from the taller boy’s face. Placing his left hand under his chin, he flashed it out like he always did before the whole debacle happened. The smile was too bright for Kokichi, he hadn’t seen one directed at him in what felt like centuries.

            As soon as they heard a “good morning Ouma-kun”, they were all genuinely happy for the trickster.  

            Kokichi may have not shown it in his following actions but the way his signature laugh went on, longer than normal, Kaede knew he was delighted.

            “Apologize to each other right now.” Kaede commanded, staring the two down with all her might.

            Both ignored her. Continuing their tiff with deadly glares at each other.

            _For goodness sake, stop being such stubborn little f- One more time._

“Apologize…” She let the word drag on, focusing on their reactions on what she was going to say next. “If you two don’t, you guys can’t come with us to the infirmary.” _That got their attention._

            _“_ You two will be left here, to clean up this room during lunch until all the junk has been cleaned up. Understand?” Kokichi groaned in annoyance. “Tojo-san, you are to not help them in any way if that is the case. So, stiffen up that upper lip and get with the buddy-buddy.” Kaede moved her hands like she was shooing two children from playing too much under the sun.

            Kokichi’s expression was unreadable. He looked like he was weighing so much options in his head, quickly sorting through all of it before responding.

            “Okay.”

            Yup, that was the answer she wanted from them. _Wait_ , did she hear right? Did Kokichi say okay?

            “I’m sorry Harukawa-chan for being a giant dick towards you.” The mumble of the purple boy, done in his whiny tenor was almost buried by the gasped by his fellow ultimates. “Although, you were a much bigger dick to me.” They all let the last part slide

            Kaede expected an apology, of course she wouldn’t have made that threat if she never wanted it in the first place, but she never expected it to come from the supreme leader first. It was an established fact in their circle that Kokichi Ouma was not the first one who apologizes.

            The twitch in Maki’s right eye was easy to miss for those not acquainted with her, she was as shocked as the rest of them albeit better at hiding her astonishment. Pushing down her awe, she replied with her own apology. “I’m sorry too, for saying that you couldn’t visit Shuichi with us.”

            They did a small handshake to seal the apologies. Kaede was overjoyed of the sight, she pumped her fist in the air as a sign of victory.  

            “But you’re still a little piece of shit.” Maki growled, pulling back her hand from Kokichi, frantically wiping her hand on Kaito’s uniform, causing distress to the Ultimate Astronaut. The Ultimate Supreme Leader’s signature laugh ringed through, showing some type of goop on his hand, the same hand he used to shake hands with Maki.

            _Progress. This was still undeniably progress._ Her lips curved into a very understanding smile. _Kokichi won’t change overnight._

            Miu and her group walked in, after the standoff of their classmates but just in time to see Kokichi getting threatened _again_ by Maki, this time they were prepared to step in to not let the fight escalate any further.

            They were the last people to arrive. The class was now ready to visit their friend.

            “What took you guys so long?” asked Tenko, her eyes on Tsumugi who tried her best to push a pale blue blanket into her backpack.

            “Iruma-san was adding some functions on Keebo-san and it took longer than what we estimated.” Miu, not wanting to get her name as an Ultimate Inventor tainted interjected.

            “Cuz this fucking robotic blow up doll kept stalling! With all that metal on you how are you such a pussy.”

            “I am not a blow-up toy Iruma-san. The Doctor made me into a fully functioning robot and I will not allow you to stain his genius. He is not some second-class inventor!” Keebo retorted, a bit more accusatory than what he hoped.

            “Heeeeeee” And as usual, Miu changed her attitude to her meek self when yelled at, or just addressed to in a bit higher pitch than normal.

            “Is everybody ready?” Kaede called out to the crowd, waving her hand to catch their attention. Nods and hums were replied to her, nobody disagreed, so they were good to go!

* * *

 

            “Hinata-kun, these two were the ones who brought Saihara-kun.” Mikan gestured to the two students, escorting them to come closer to Hajime. He had asked for them, he remembered that much, but he couldn’t believe that these two petite girls were the ones who rushed the young detective here. If he remembered correctly, Mikan said that one was carrying the boy while the other acted as an assistant. His mind wandered to the image of two young girls running with a boy much bigger than both of them. _Now, who between these two could carry the boy…_

“H-hinata...kun” Three pairs of eyes had been staring quizzically at the Ultimate Hope. Maybe now was not the time to play his guessing games.

 

            When the two girls entered the infirmary so did the rest of their companions. Mikan did not try to stop them because there wasn’t any reason to. Visiting patients was a-okay with her. While the two were told to appear before Hajime, the rest found themselves places in the room, waiting for either of the two to come back and tell them what to do.

            It seemed the whole class was brought along with them, Hajime thought, all having the same look of worry when they saw the supposed doctor casually sitting, reading their friend’s supposed chart and mumbling into his hand, causing a few eyebrows to arch upward.

            The academy’s infirmary operated with just the nurse, she was doing a good job on her own. An ultimate doesn’t need much for assistance when the best assistant they could ever hope for were themselves and seeing the unfamiliar face which could not be mistaken for anything else but a doctor, with his garb of a white lab coat and stethoscope hanging from his neck, was not reassuring. The aura that he gives off as _Izuru Kamakura_ only heightened their suspicion of him being extremely important in the medical field.

            “Ahh, sorry I spaced out a bit,” Hajime tried to laugh it out, easing the stiffness of the expression of each young ultimate. They might have assumed he was going to drop horrible news on them. _He would be lying if he says this was not horrible news._

            “I am Hajime Hinata nice to meet you.” He reached out his right hand. “I’m the Ultimate Ho- uh I mean, the Ultimate Homely Doctor?” He stopped himself before completing his title, a little unsure if his lie was going to be seen through. Introducing yourself as the Ultimate Hope to a bunch of students already expecting the worst is not a great plan.

            Maki was suspicious of the _Ultimate Homely Doctor,_ did such a talent even exist? Why was it so weirdly phrased? The questions lingered on her before she shut them down. This school has run out of ideas for talents, _that was the best they could come up with._

Those who listened in on their conversations had accepted his little white lie, even making Mikan put a hand in front of her mouth to stop her giggling from getting louder. Seeing Hajime retract his words with a dubious expression like he was second guessing his self, was not something the nurse gets to see every day.

            Some students however were too sharp, aside from Maki, Rantarou, Kokichi and Tsumugi saw through the lie. “That was such a terrible lie.” Kokichi mumbled, stuffing his mouth with candies he _borrowed_ from Himiko’s bag, getting protests from the small magician, Tenko instantly coming to her defense and smacking the deviant’s head.

            “Where have I seen him before…” Rantarou’s mind drifted, searching his memory for some information on the brunette before them.

 

* * *

 

            Hajime cleared his throat, trying to feel embarrassed, that was what Hajime Hinata would do when he was gazed at by many eyes, _right?_

            “First things first, I want to thank you two, for quickly bringing him to the infirmary. The sooner he was treated the better it was for his condition. You deserve some praise.” He patted their heads, Maki showing her discomfort and Kaede just openly accepting it.

            “Now, are you all here to visit our dear little detective.”

            “Yup yup! We are here for Shu-kun!” Angie piped, her usual preppy side popping out, making the Ultimate Hope jump back a little at her enthusiasm. “We even brought snacks.”

            “Oh? Did you bring him gifts?” Hajime stood up, the two girls behind him while Mikan left his side to tend to the sleeping patient. They should have been angry at how he was treating them. It was how he normally treated elementary students and it should have pushed some of them to at least show uneasiness. Instead, they all took their turns, showing that all of them did in fact bring something for the detective.

            This was a heartwarming sight, _Shuichi had so many people who cared for him._ Too many people.

            Gifts that ranged from store-bought to personally made were presented to him like it was their pride and joy. Hajime thought it was unbelievable that the detective was just gone for a day. Their efforts warranted at least a month of absence from class not a few measly hours.

            It was ridiculous yet at the same time charming.

  _Just how deep were they all in?_

            He scanned and studied each Ultimate in front of him. He had already read the profiles of everyone in the same class as Shuichi. They were the most likely suspect for his disease. Memorizing their names and attaching a face to each one was easy for the Ultimate Hope.

             Studying them in such a short time won’t give him much information to work with but it will do. Some he assumed had platonic feelings for the detective, feelings that in no way should contribute to his condition, but then again, those who are romantically or sexually in love with him outweighed the harmless emotion. There was no way to make sure that what he estimated was correct without them confessing they see Shuichi in that way.

            All baseless assumptions on his part.  

            “Sooooooo,” a short purple haired boy spoke first after their little show and tell. _The Ultimate Supreme Leader – Kokichi Ouma._ The way he tried to look irritated, made Hajime snicker. _He knew a liar when he saw one._

            “Can we go see my beloved Saihara-chan now. You’re quite boring doctor.” Hajime let his comment slide, glares from a number of his classmates shoot towards him. Hajime somehow knew that the boy was just a compulsive liar and was trying to get under his skin. Those types are better dealing with by not taking anything they say seriously. It reminded him of his own little problem who was still bombarding his phone with nonsense messages. “Nishishishi~, or are you keeping him all to yourself. Ooooh, don’t hurt Saihara-chan, he is quite sensitive with his wimpy build.” 

            _This one is in love._ There was no doubt about it in Hajime’s mind. As much as of a liar the boy was, he sucked at hiding his emotion, well in Hajime’s eyes he sucked. Hajime could not imagine him as anything but in love with the detective.

            “Uhh, Doctor Hinata. Please ignore Ouma-kun, he is a bit … special.” Keebo apologized in his stead _._ He was worried that if they got on the doctor’s bad side they would not be allowed to even get a glimpse of their reason for making the trip to the infirmary. _The Ultimate Robot K1-BO specifically made as an evolving AI._

            Kokichi didn’t bother with his own apology. _As if you guys weren’t itching to see him,_ he mumbled before being shushed by the rest of the group.

            They were pretty transparent to Hajime, no matter what pleasantries they exchanged with him, all they desired was to see the boy behind the curtains.

            “I’ll let you guys see him,” their eyes lit up, they weren’t subtle at all.

            “In a short bit.” They wear their emotions on their sleeves. The disappointment and irritation were clear in their eyes. 

            Hajime ignored his desire to laugh at how predictable the students were but he was a professional. “Only need all of you to answer my questions. Is that alright?”

            “Gonta don’t mind. As long as we allowed to see Shuichi, Gonta do anything.” The rather large ultimate spoke, nodding like he had been in deep thought before. _That one is Gonta Gokuhara, the Ultimate Entomologist._

            “Okay first question.” He positioned himself at the farthest possible distance, not enough to be awkward but just right for what was about to happen. “Please don’t be too loud.” He threw in the request, knowing full-well they would probably not follow through it.

            They all nodded, agreeing to it without even giving it a second thought. All of the ultimates did not recognize the weight of the question he was about to ask.

            Hajime already prepared himself for the reaction that was about to come. He did it so many times with the object of the hanahaki’s love that it was almost **_boring._** Same old shocked expression, same old look of disbelief.

This was the first time however that he changed it a little, to make it appropriate for the situation. _What’s going to happen, may not be boring at all._

            Asking the question, his eyes roamed the room not looking at a particular ultimate.

           

“Are you in love with Shuichi Saihara?”

 

Silence was for a few minutes before what seemed like a riot broke out.

 

            “ **WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!** ”

_There goes the don’t be too loud rule._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~gahd, i suck at world-establishing.~~ this was supposed to be part of the previous chapter but it became too long and i wanted to update as soon as possible. 
> 
> i probably won't be able to update as much because of studying the laws of the land is quite exhausting but i'll try my best for my precious cinnabun and everything good with the ndrv3 babies. wooooh!
> 
> thank you for reading :3


	5. Before Autumn Settled In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime, despite being the possessor of many talents, couldn’t assure the 53rd class that his operation would eradicate the complex hanahaki inside their classmate. It was so rare that he didn’t have many chances to study it, so he was mostly working on theories and experience rather than medical findings. 
> 
> He spoke once more, “I have already told you of your options, I’ll give you two days to think about your decision. I won’t judge your choice, that isn’t my job. I only advise that you choose what you are most comfortable with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yey. finally finished this. sorry for the short hiatus so i hope you guys like this one. I'm gonna kinda rant in the end notes so yeah you can skip that or read it. can't force you to do either. 
> 
> btw not yet edited so i apologize for grammatical mistakes, spelling mistakes and sudden breaking of train of thought ~~though that's just normal me~~ hope you enjoy!
> 
> edit2: i added my lost thoughts now. i'm really sorry about that. sleep got the best of me hahaha

 

Kiyo listened in to the mix of protests from all his classmates – differing levels of panic and stress rushing out of each ultimate in the short span of time. They were all apprehensive, livid even, at the question of the supposed doctor. Even someone like Angie, who just goes with the flow, couldn’t form words after it was asked, a question of the level of affection they had for the detective.

The question came out of nowhere and he believed their noise was justified.

            Some may have been screaming or just speaking quite loudly, either from denial or pure confusion but there were also those who chose to stay quiet or at least mumble their way out of the mess.

             Kiyo chose the latter, being quiet, assessing the situation in an anthropological point of view. It was a rare sight to see everyone in a state of mass panic like this one but the question asked still lingered in the back of his own mind. Was he in love with the detective? It was a question not worth lying about.

            A piece of gum, not yet taken out of its package, flew towards Kiyo, which he expertly avoided. It came from Himiko, who was frantically looking for something in her bag, throwing her things almost everywhere the room.

_This type of chaos from humans is interesting as well._

             Doctor Hinata didn’t try to calm them down, which Kiyo appreciated. The longer this went on, the more data he could write in his observation journal.

            He let them cope up with the situation, with their own special quirks and defense mechanisms. It was not like this came as a surprise. Hajime expected this already. It was the only logical outcome the moment he laid eyes on each of them.

            Though when this question was asked to _his_ classmates, they were much more chaotic in a sense that they almost destroyed the island’s infirmary, with half being open-minded in admitting their desire to have the brunette all to themselves and the others shunning the very idea of them falling in love with the shell of Hajime Hinata. _Memories of the past huh?_

            The knowing glint in the older man’s eyes made Kiyo doubt the identity of this so called _Ultimate Homely Doctor._ It wasn’t a stretch to have that ultimate talent, this school was full of uncanny talents that makes no sense at all, but he couldn’t throw away the feeling that that person was much more than a measly on-call doctor. Rantarou had the same hunch as him, whispering to the anthropologist his doubt when they were introduced and said doctor’s attention was on their two female classmates.

             

 

* * *

 

            “Why did you ask such a weird question you degenerate male doctor sir!” Tenko blabbered, her composure obviously lost to the wind. With her arms high in a defense stance, she faced off with an equally confused Kaito, who was doing terrible in composing his thoughts.

            “What are you threatening me for Chabashira?!” He screamed, defending from onslaught of attacks misdirected to him by the Ultimate Aikido Master.

            “I…I don’t understand the question.” Keebo muttered, having his own mental breakdown, trying to rush either saved memories or information he had in his database to form whatever the doctor said. Beside him was Miu who was lost to her own fantasies, muttering the name of Shuichi and other things Kiyo would rather have not heard. He may have his own kinks but Miu was in a whole other level.   

            “Of course, you won’t understand Kiiboy. Human emotions aren’t that easy to comprehend especially for a machine like you.” Kokichi snickered, his voice laced with something more than his usual deviousness. The slight pink blush on his cheeks wasn’t missed by Kiyo, as he brushed it by fanning himself with his checkered scarf.

            “What? Is that question really necessary?”

                        “Nyeh, love takes a lot of ma-magic so…I’m not sure.”

                                                “Only Atua is worthy of affection!”

            “Gonta thinks dearly of Shuichi. Is that considered love?”

                                                                        “I-I am only able to love 2d characters!”

 

Everybody denying with all their might, it had gone exactly as how the Ultimate Hope thought it would unfold.  

 

            “Doctor?” Kiyo spoke up despite the ruckus, the noise from his classmates still not dying down. If the anthropologist didn’t raise his hand, nobody might have noticed.

            Hajime turned to the long-haired anthropologist, giving him his attention. He was playing with the strands of his hair that made its way to his face. Setting his eyes at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world, he continued playing the strands.

            “Yes, Shinguuji-kun?” He ignored the fact that the doctor knew of his name.  

            “I am.” He started, a little louder than expected. The voices of his classmates quelled but not entirely gone. _There was no turning back now._

            Hajime knew what he was trying to say, it was clear what it was, but he didn’t want to pressure him into saying it.

            He waited for Kiyo to utter the words himself.

“I’m in love with Saihara-kun.” Kiyo nonchalantly mentioned, focusing his attention to his bandage-wrapped fingers, disguising embarrassment with indifference.

            Like the calm after the storm, everything went quiet all at once. Their voices gone, as if they were put on immediate mute. None of them knew how to respond to the revelation the ultimate anthropologist brought. In fact, in that frme of time, most of them had the same thought.

_He did it first._

Out of all of the ultimates, nobody expected Kiyo to confess first.  

            Hajime smiled. His honesty was highly appreciated, progressing whatever he had planned along. “I see. What type love is it?”

            Hajime took out a notepad and beside the name of the Ultimate Anthropologist he scribbled the word “yes” and waited for the next piece of information.

            “What type of love Shinguuji-kun? Romantic? Platonic? Or maybe Sexual?”  he repeated, giving him categories in case he wasn’t sure how to classify it.

            It was a curve ball that Kiyo didn’t expect, hitting him dead-center to nervousness.

            “I-uh...” He couldn’t answer, too flustered to think that he was telling his feelings to almost everyone in his life before the object of affection. _Was it presumptuous to assume that Shuichi would appreciate it if he was the first one to know?_

            His decision to tell them came from his desire to move the conversation, he really didn’t think of it fully and to what extent the consequence of this confession could have.

            Regret came as soon as the follow up question was served. It was too late. Way too late to take everything back and copy Kokichi, saying it was all a lie.

            There were three problems if he did that;

            _1_. It was out of line with his personality. A joke that came out of nowhere if he says it was.

_2_. His lie was as transparent as glass – nobody would be dumb enough to believe it, even Gonta. _Well maybe Gonta would still believe it. He had too much faith in a person’s words._

_And 3._ He felt that it was wrong to be embarrassed about his love for the ultimate detective.

            Kiyo tried his best to not look like it unnerved him, pulling his mysterious mask slightly up to cover his cheeks that he was sure was turning into the color of a peach every second that passed, the eyes of his fellow ultimates not leaving him at all.

            He was fine with having attention on him, he did so in his talks whenever he was invited to discuss his talent, plus he wasn’t oblivious of the admiration he garners from other students and the general public when he goes out to town. His sister always told him he was on the handsomer side of the spectrum

             “Ro…romantic.” He stuttered, but slowly his composure was trickling back to him, telling himself that Shuichi deserved better than a half-assed attempt of admission. He would not be able to take this confession back, but when he was going to confess to the boy, he would make sure that he would stand confident and proud of the emotion the ultimate detective managed to awaken in him.

           

            Tsumugi couldn’t believe that Kiyo was in love with the same person she was. Actually, knowing Shuichi, it was weirder to not have some sort of love rival but she didn’t expect Kiyo to be one much more to be the first one to admit. _He was a hardcore siscon after all._

            Her expression mirrored all her other classmates, even those considered cool and composed. Some felt self-conscious by the sudden confession, they knew that they had the same feelings - well a sort of same feeling.

            “Thank you for the information Shinguuji-kun.”

            “Anyone else?”

            It was understandable that everyone was still uneasy with admitting their emotions. One confessor doesn’t make this any less difficult. It would do no service to the recovery of the detective if they kept quiet. Did Tsumugi need to tell this doctor her own desires for Shuichi? It was a conflicting feeling. None of her senses were responding correctly or the way she wanted them too.

_The scent that was slowly becoming prominent in the room didn’t help with the recovery of her senses._  

            Someone raised their hand.

            “I like Shu-kun as well! I dream of having him as my husband! Nyahahaha, I promise he will be someday, as foretold by Atua!”

            Angie was the next to confirm her love. Maybe Kiyo’s confession gave her courage, or she just didn’t want to lose to the Ultimate Anthropologist. Either way it helped Hajime out. He wrote into his notepad beside the artist’s name, “yes” and “romantic with possibility of sexual.”

            “Hey you barely legal bimbo! Don’t go around announcing that Pooichi’s gonna be your personal sex toy!” Miu screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at the artist who looked as if she didn’t give a damn about the threatening glare the inventor was sending her. “That boy’s ass is mine and none of you virgins are getting your turn!”

            She pulled the yellow jacket of her female classmate and brought her up to eye level. Nobody would expect such strength from Miu even Miu was surprised of the sudden surge of power in her body but she didn’t let it bother her.

Angie’s words came out way too certain that it left a bad taste in her mouth. 

            “What the hell Miu!” Kaito interjected, half-speechless on how Miu decided to word her objection to Angie’s wishes and half-expecting everything she had said. Even if Kaito had an idea of the words that would fall out of her mouth, it didn’t mean he approved of having her subject an unconscious Shuichi to sexual harassment. He did however agree that Shuichi was not entirely Angie’s.

             Kaito quickly intervened between Miu and Angie, noticing how Angie was reaching for the chisel tucked in her belt. Kaito shivered at the sight, relieving a memory he didn’t want to.

            Angie’s culture was peculiar – borderline cultish to the rest of the world but it was a culture nonetheless. In her head Atua was the highest order, even more so than the government or any international organization and as his oracle, she had free reign on her island to do as she pleased.

This meant she wouldn’t hesitate to cut up a fellow ultimate if provoked.

            Kaito was one of the select few who experienced Angie’s prowess with the tool, remembering the feeling of having the chisel against his neck when he accidentally bumped into an unfinished sculpture of the Ultimate Artist. The pointed tip dangerously hovered above his Adam’s apple, making Kaito pray to all the gods he knew, including the very god the dark-skinned girl worshipped.

            His body trembled from the touch, the tip almost cutting a small portion of his skin, exposing his blood to the world. Fortunately, his best friend saved him, offering the artist a chance to paint him in exchange for whatever Kaito destroyed. Angie gladly took the offer. Looking back, Kaito should have known that Angie was interested in the boy detective when she immediately agreed to the exchange. _Maybe he was really dense._

            He separated the two ultimates, alternating from looking at the artist and then the inventor to give them a scolding. “Shuichi does not belong to either of you.”

            “Yeah, Saihara-kun is obviously going to be with me.” Heads turned to the direction of the confident tone, a smirk forming on the Ultimate Adventurer’s face who was currently leaning on the wall on one side of the room. Even the green-haired boy couldn’t believe he said something so bold in front of their classmates. “I’m going to travel with Saihara-kun…”

  _Did I really see Shuichi as someone more than the little brother type?_

The atmosphere swept him away and made him confess.

            “Oh, hell no Amami-kun! There is no way in hell I’m giving Sweetchi to you!”  It was Tsumugi’s turn to speak up, annoyance in her eyes as well as her voice. Her outburst did not startle the green boy at all. Somewhere in his mind, he expected it. _Expected Tsumugi to blow up way before this._

            Tsumugi never had a soft spot for the adventurer, reasoning somewhere along the lines of how she hated his guts and just overall existence. Someone as gaudy and flashy as Rantarou Amami didn’t jive well with a plain-jane like her. Plus, she saw him as a complete jerk, a conclusion that she still had no solid basis for. Tsumugi believed that Rantarou was ain’t worth shit and she was going to die first before letting the boy have Shuichi.

            The hate didn’t bother Rantarou at all, he had the same thoughts for the cosplayer. Hiding her true colors behind the façade of being plain pissed off the adventurer more than it should have. Maybe he hated how she presented herself, or maybe he hated how she managed to make Shuichi give in to whatever she says. It was infuriating to the adventurer when Tsumugi used her fake shyness to get the detective to go along with whatever she was planning. Rantarou already sees her as a manipulative bitch and not much could change that. But their beef with each other was never explored beyond the idea of mere discomfort. Hidden well enough behind fake smiles and neighborly greetings.

             After all, Maki and Kokichi already had their usual battles, anymore and the classroom would just break. _Their conflict would just shorten the life of Kaede faster._

            She threw something towards the adventurer, aiming specifically at his head. He dodged it, letting whatever the small pouch had smash into the wall.

            “Don’t move! You! metrosexual normie!” She shrieked pointing at the ultimate, not hiding her malice whatever.

            “Well, fuck you too Shirogane.”

            _Everything was just going so well._

 

* * *

 

            “Everyone please calm down. Saihara-kun isn’t anyone’s property…” Kirumi argued to the rumbling crowd, not one ultimate acknowledging her point. She wanted to take control of he situation, most of her previous masters let her since she was so capable compared to themselves, but holding back Angie from trying to cut away Kaito’s precious goatee had proven hard for the maid. _How could Angie have such strength anyway!?_

            Most of their sense had deteriorated and in their state, was closer to a free for all, easily looking for fights with each other over the tiniest thing.

Classmate against classmate.

Ultimate vs. Ultimate.

            All the good will they had accumulated from the past months with each other came crashing down.

They were at each other’s necks, which made not only Gonta jittery but the Ultimate Nurse as well.

            “Hinata-kun stop them!” Mikan begged, her eyes focused on the two ultimates who were fighting because of reasons unknown to the nurse. Kiyo was threatening to hang Tenko from a beam and Tenko, who was previously fighting with Kaito, was challenging the mysterious boy to a death match. Mikan knew ultimates had the tendency to be unpredictable, but this was way out of the possibility spectrum.

             Hajime was unresponsive, focusing mostly on the notepad he had, scribbling more words and observations he was making. _Now was not the time to be freaking Izuru Kamakura Hinata-kun!_ Mikan thought, doing her best to take away the red rope the anthropologist managed to get his hands on. _Did he have this on him the whole time?_

Somewhere in Mikan’s mind, she was thankful that their unreasonable rage was never directed towards her, only to their fellow classmates. Her appreciation quickly deteriorated the moment she saw the Ultimate Magician pull out a dove from her hat and made it peck the head of the Ultimate Inventor.

_Why were all these ultimates so creative in finding ways to kill each other!?_  

            “Friends should not fight.” Gonta pleaded to them, looking for help from Kaede who he knew could calm them. Gonta was physically strong, but he knew he was too strong to use it so misshapenly. If he was not careful, he would put one of his friends beside the already hurting Shuichi. Gonta would feel terrible if that truly happened.

            Unfortunately for him, Kaede did not notice. Actually, the blonde was tuning out everything, submerged in her own dilemma of telling the doctor or keeping it to herself. She didn’t even notice when a random piece of candy flew her way.

            From one side of the room, Kiibo had malfunctioned, a few circuits of his burned, making the poor robot blab nonsense, irritating the strawberry magician who ran away when Miu brought out her weird invention.

            “Kiibo shut up!” Himiko shouted at the robot, the most emotion anyone had ever gotten from her. The latter however didn’t respond, raising the level of irritation of the magician. “WAAAAAAAAAH!”

Gonta wanted to cry…

            “I’ll help you Gonta.” Maki offered, pulling Tsumugi away from Rantarou. She didn’t know how it escalated to the point where the avocado was on the floor with Tsumugi screaming on top of him while he was screaming back, being held back by Gonta when they saw how he was planning to use the random piece of meat that was near him. _Was this how the class felt when me and Kokichi are fighting?_

Even with Maki helping the nurse and Gonta it was still not enough to sedate the whole class. When they manage to keep two ultimates from bashing each other’s skulls, another pair would be at each other’s throats. Then, when their attention was on the next pair of delinquents the previous offenders were gone and trying to pick a new fight, either from their previous enemy or a new one entirely. _Why was everyone going bananas_? 

            Mikan was at her wit’s end trying to stop the body count of patients in her infirmary. She liked taking care of patients and curing them, she became a nurse for the reason of helping people who are sick and hurt but she didn’t want to stand by and watch students get hurt, in her infirmary no less. It was stupid to not at least stop them. Her efforts as futile as they were, were much more than whatever Hajime was doing.

_He isn’t even trying to calm them down._

             In the midst of the free for all, she noticed an odd smell of chemicals in the air. It wasn’t in the room before and she had a feeling it was not a good sign. “I’ll go take a look somewhere. Can you two handle it?” She asked the two ultimates, her confidence in leaving them waived when she saw Keebo actually being flung into the air only to land onto Kaito. Maki gave her a quick nod, lifting the poor robot off her best friend.

             Choosing to let the sane ultimates take care of the problem with the others, she traced the source of the foul odor in the air.   

            At the sam time, Ryoma slipped through his classmates, closing in on the only thing he thought would stop the idiocy he was seeing. He had been safe from all the violence that had been happening before him but seeing his two classmates try so hard in stopping it made him make a move. Taking it out off the wall, he pulled the safety pin and aimed.

            _Time to wash away the stupid from these people._

* * *

 

            “Okay, does everyone have a towel now?”

            She surveyed the room, rubbing one at hand against the Ultimate Magician’s hair, while mentally counting the wet patches on the floor and taking in the students she just handed out. _How long will this take to clean up?_

She returned her focus on the students, shaking her head as he saw that Hajime was relatively still tidy from all that happened.  

            All the students who got hit by the specialized fire extinguisher were drying themselves with the towels Mikan had distributed, trying to get the unknown residue off their body and clothes. Those who managed to steer away from the mess Ryoma made were taking care of their belongings, cleaning if the liquid had found its way onto them. It was a gigantic mess, a bigger mess than when one of her classmates decided to throw a party in the midst of their summer vacation on an island.

_Headmaster Jin Kirigiri was not pleased to say the least._  

            Mikan was thankful that everyone stopped fighting, no matter how strong the sleeping pills were, the racket they were making would definitely wake the resting detective. Though she did wish Ryoma found another way of stopping the noise other than dowsing his classmates with the experimental extinguisher the school just stocked up on. Headmaster Naegi vouched that it won’t cause any problems when in contact with skin, inhaled or swallowed.   _A previous graduate, the 22 nd Class’ Ultimate Scientist made this. _Was what he said but she still had her doubts.

            Subsequently, after Ryoma drenched his classmates with the multi-colored liquid, she found the origin of the astonishing change of mood of the ultimates. It was the unidentifiable scent that suddenly filled the room. A few bottles she had gotten for Hajime that contained various chemicals had managed to slip in the small air freshener machine she had in the room.

            The mixture caused the brain to respond in a radical manner of aggressiveness. Those with strong immune systems were not affected or at the very least only induced to confusion and a potent sense of dread rather than aggression. That explained why some of the students were just preoccupied with their selves instead of picking a fight.

When it was thrown out of the room, they calmed down. They were more serene, level-headed and completely at peace.  The memories of their sudden insanity did not leave their minds however.

            Hajime wasn’t affected in the slightest, his body was far too manufactured and experimented on to have any kind of poison work on him. It was one of the so-called upgrades the previous Hope’s Peak Academy did to him aside from adding his multiple talents.

            Mikan wanted to scold the guy for not saying anything though he noticed it before anyone in the room. If he did, this mess wouldn’t have been here at all. And maybe, the class didn’t need to fall apart at such crucial times.

At her guidance, they started a little therapy session.

            Those who started fights with each other apologized, all deciding that the ill feelings were caused by the unknown substance and not of their better judgment. Two ultimates however kept quiet of the animosity they truly felt for the other. Mikan ordered all those who quarreled to sit next to each other while in the infirmary to restore the good will between all of them but Tsumugi and Rantarou never held any of that toward the other.

            _“I thought you were cosplaying as a disappointment Shirogane? Guess that’s just how you normally are.”_ Rantarou sneered in a low voice towards the cosplayer, making sure the exchange would only be heard by the intended receiver.

            Tsumugi snapped back in the same tone the other used. _“Just get lost in the jungle already, you guacamole.”_

            “Oh, are you two fighting?” Tenko asked when she saw the two ultimates whispering.  

            “Of course, we aren’t.” the two answered in unison, flashing smiles that seemed out of place. Tenko did no further questioning, seating herself beside Himiko who was getting help from Angie wiping the towel in her hair.

            Kaede, one of the few dry ones in the bunch, was already decided on her previous dilemma. Thinking that the time where everyone was preoccupied was the best time to tell the doctor of her choice.

            “Doctor Hinata –“she approached him, tugging on his white coat to get the other’s attention.

            It did, and now, the heterochromatic eyes of the Ultimate Hope settled on her. She didn’t wait for him to reply, hurriedly saying everything she wanted to say before any word could escape his mouth. “I think I like Shuichi-kun too. I mean, only in a platonic way. Not romantic…You know friendship and all that jazz.” Kaede was making herself more suspicious with how she worded her answer to his question. She was 101% sure it was platonic but being suspected of romantic inclinations often made her react that way.

             It was suspicious, but the doctor didn’t ask any more questions and wrote it down.

 

            No one had heard Kaede’s confession, aside from the supreme leader who was as dry as the dessert. The substance had no effect on the leader of DICE at all and he was smart enough to stand out of the line of fire when he saw Ryoma aiming the extinguisher.

            Kaede wasn’t lying, Kokichi thought, but she wasn’t 100% truthful. Who was Kaede fooling with the whole 101% platonic feeling? Kokichi would never fully believe a person who was beside and trusted by a person like Shuichi and not feel something for the gorgeous detective other than friendship. It was the most incredulous lie.

If he was in Kaede’s shoes, he wouldn’t last a day before he questioned everything in his life as he spiraled down into the abyss of infinite thoughts on the perfect detective.

 

At present, Kokichi was observing the situation, deciding what his next step would be.  

            He knew so little of the mysterious doctor but the way he was eyeing everyone in the room, seemed that doctor knew more than needed about them. It surprised him when he addressed Kiyo without the proper introduction. That detail may have gone over the heads of his classmates because of the confession the anthropologist, it kind of threw Kokichi off the loop as well, but he didn’t let go of the fact that the doctor had sufficient knowledge of their basic identities.

            “Hey doctor liar.” Kokichi put both his hands behind his head and smirked at the direction of Hajime. His method was his usual, rude and ill-mannered but he didn’t care. No way he was going to trust this doctor when he was still hiding something from them and he was definitely going to find it out. He was not going to let some sketchy guy be the source of remedy for his beloved.

            Kokichi wasn’t waiting for his answer, he was still going to say whatever the fuck he wanted to the suspicious doctor and no one in this room was going to stop him, not even Kaede, though the attention of the room all shifted to him after his action.

            “Why do we need to tell you something about our emotions and shit? I believe my beloved Saihara-chan has the right to this before you. Do you have some sort of kink in getting high schoolers to reveal their emotions for somebody else? Cause if you do, that’s really fucked up doc.”

            His signature laugh ringed through the room, his voice reverberated, accompanied by only the subtle sounds of nature. The supreme leader wasn’t finished. He refocused his eyes, glaring into the doctor as if he was the reason for all the misfortune that befell his precious _friend._

“We shouldn’t forget that you aren’t even formally in the roster of employees in this school.”

            Aside from forming his signature knowing smirk, the supreme leader held out his phone and showed the full list of employees in the whole school, information he got when he was bored and decided to hack into the main server of the academy. He learned a lot from it, the system was pretty easy to hack despite being ran by ultimates, he even hacked it in the school’s library.

            He could have learned more but Kokichi was busted by the nosy swimming coach Asahina. Even if she was considered as one of the founders of Neo Hope’s Peak, he never thought of the female coach as threatening like Assistant Headmaster Kirigiri or Board Member Togami nor was she interesting like Headmaster Naegi and that weird woman who shows up occasionally in the school, Fukawa. Asahina was always paired up with the other scout that Kokichi didn’t bother remembering, though he admits that, Asahina was better compared to the other person.

             She was too slow, Kokichi managed to send some files to his phone before she led him to the office of the assistant headmaster. It was a bit frightening knowing that he would be alone with the iron woman herself. God must have pitied him because when he opened the door, he was greeted with the sight of his beloved Shuichi, sitting in front of Assistant Kirigiri.

            He was giddy, all his nervousness vanished, cuddling himself beside Shuichi though there were plenty of other seats. It was also a miracle that Shuichi was unusually open to his clinginess and letting the purple haired boy do what he wanted, only occasionally moving his hands away when he was getting a little too close for comfort. The presence of Shuichi also lessened the probable rage of the assistant, which Kokichi was ultimately grateful for. She didn’t glare, she didn’t comment too much on his behavior and she actually patted his head when he confessed, after thorough prompting from his beloved of course. He was however led to a 4-day suspension by the Assistant Headmaster. Not letting him go near the main school building and have visitors.

It was the weirdest four days of his life, fully deprived of his beloved.

            Hajime was impressed with how the leader was approaching the situation. He didn’t think anyone had the gall to go against the academy Makoto and Kyouko were running but here we are, in front of a boy who hacked a system just for fun. Staring at a small boy who managed to break one of the protective barriers in their system, he let out a small huff of air from his mouth, clearly showing his amusement. The information may have been in the weakest part of the operating system but the intent was all that mattered to Hajime.

  _Maybe it was time to explain to them the situation._

“I believe that establishing them is the cure for Shuichi Saihara’s hanahaki disease.”

* * *

 

            “It’s not the typical form of the disease.”

            They were seated, surrounding Hajime, their attention on every word he said.

            All the ultimates in the 53rd class followed the Ultimate Hope into the empty conference room, where the class intended to have their lunch. They didn’t bother to get themselves comfy in the chairs, instead they opted to get as close as possible, positioning themselves to whatever they found fitting.

            Mikan was left in the infirmary to clean up as well as assist the patient in case he wakes up to another coughing fit. None had spoken from the group aside from the older male.

            “As we all know, hanahaki disease comes from unrequited love. The virus strives off the emotions and cultivates them into flowers that will bloom in the respiratory system, blocking out the means of breathing, effectively causing asphyxia, leading to death.” He went over his notes, the one of his own experience with the disease and assured himself that there was no mistake in his diagnosis. He continued.

            “But his hanahaki is a complex type of hanahaki. For identifying purposes I’ll refer to the one Saihara-kun is afflicted with as reverse hanahaki.” He paused, letting the term sink in their minds, “Instead of harboring unrequited love himself, the patient will be the subject of multiple unrequited loves that are on varying degrees. The one-sided feelings give the person the disease but other strong feelings of love contribute to it being worsened. Being in the presence of strong emotions every day has caused his disease to take form in a later stage, one where basic medication won’t do him any favors.”

            When Hajime finished his explanation, the room was silent.           

            They were stunned of course, it was all too much to digest. Color from their faces drained away and new waves of emotions left them dazed as the explanation of the doctor went on. Guilt, grief and self-loathing overwhelmed the ultimates, the only emotions they were able to feel, that left them gasping for air or anything to depend on.

_They_ were the reason that the boy was in the infirmary. _They_ were the reason he was suffering. _Their stupid feelings_ were the reason he was slowly dying.

            _The 53 rd class was the reason for Shuichi suffering and that fact made their insides swirl into different degrees of nausea. _

            Hajime wanted to feel empathy for the group – wanting to give them a bit of time to breathe, he really did, but doing such would not prove beneficial for either parties. He added more to his explanation, disregarding the dread and sorrow of the ultimates.

             “Thus, was my reason for asking you all such questions. I have already established that Saihara-kun does not have many visitors coming from the outside of the academy nor does he have any childhood friends he keeps frequent contact with.”

            “So, the most reasonable argument I concluded was that it would be his classmates. This was my primary reason for questioning you all. I apologize if it seemed crude and crass to you lot, I should have started with explaining the situation before throwing you all into this mess.”

            The doctor bowed before the students, expressing his sincerity through it. Kaede saw that the doctor had no intention to hurt them, or to confuse them. It may have been presumptuous on her part but she wanted to believe that he was just as confused on how to approach this situation as them.

            Kaede understood that he only did the abrupt questioning because he was concerned about Shuichi. The faster he had his answers the faster he could have saved him.

            “I don’t quite understand what your saying doc.” Kaito was the first one to speak up, he was visibly shaken, the sweat on his forehead sliding down his face, but he was not so shocked to forget speech.

            “But I do understand that if we cooperate with you, we’ll be helping my bro get better. If that’s the case, you need no more prompting to do. We’ll do anything we can to help cure Shuichi.” He beamed a carefree smile, giving the Ultimate Hope a thumb’s up.

Hajime, for the first time in a while, genuinely gave a smile back.

* * *

 

            What he said didn’t completely register in the minds of the Ultimates.

            Procedures like this one were quite tricky. There wasn’t a 100% chance of it succeeding, maybe even making everything they sacrificed be for nothing. The world was cruel like that, and there was rarely anything they could do despite being ultimates. Even if his immense luck and Nagito’s were combined, they would still likely be at 50%.

            Hajime, despite being the possessor of many talents, couldn’t assure the 53rd class that his operation would eradicate the complex hanahaki inside their classmate. It was so rare that he didn’t have many chances to study it, so he was mostly working on theories and experience rather than medical findings. 

            He spoke once more, “I have already told you of your options, I’ll give you two days to think about your decision. I won’t judge your choice, that isn’t my job. I only advise that you choose what you are most comfortable with.” 

            His words hung in the air.

            They were only given two options, which they must decide in two days. Two options that had such great consequences that it almost felt unfair that they were given the power to decide.

            If they **_do not_** agree, Shuichi would most likely die, something none of them would want. A world without Shuichi was something they do not want with all the fiber of their bodies.

_Especially knowing the reason for that death would be their inability to control their emotions around him._

            If they **_do_** agree then they were faced with another type of dilemma, aside from it working or not.

            The side effects of the surgery that the Ultimate Hope proposed did not sit well with any of them. Whether it succeeds or not, they would lose something –

Either it was the detective’s memories of their relationships with him, or their memories and of course feelings for the detective. 

In the end, all of the options had substantial negatives and it was simply _unfair._

* * *

 

            When the bell for afternoon classes rung, none of the students gave it interest. Their minds all calculating whether the options they were going for was the better choice out of the two. They wanted to save him, they needed to save him, but none of their options gave them the peace of mind they all yearned.  

            “Why are they all still here Hinata-kun?” Mikan asked when she saw all the students follow Hajime back to the infirmary, their previous energy drained away by what the nurse suspected was the findings of her friend. “You should all go back to your classrooms. Education is important.”

            “True, Tsumiki, but I did make a promise to everyone that when I finished explaining I would let them see Saihara-kun.” He leaned in towards Mikan, which was too close for comfort. “Would you let them see the boy before leaving? Please Tsumiki?” His breath was against Mikan’s left ear, making the nurse’s face go red, her temperature rising to that of a slight fever.

            “O-okay.” She was weak to pressure, and sympathy that was a fact but she was weaker when it involved Hajime. The hold that the other had on her was amazing considering the time they spent apart. “But you should all do your best not to wake him up. He needs to all the rest he can take.”

            Mikan, with the help of Hajime, put away the divider, setting it near the wall making sure it didn’t get in the way of anyone. She reached for the curtains and reeled it, revealing to the class the sleeping detective.

            Collective sighs of relief came from the ultimates, their faces softening to that of adoration and love by the mere sight of the ultimate. He was safe. _He was alive_. The soft breaths coming from the detective proved to everyone that he was living, and that gave them all the strength they needed to get through the two days they were given.

            “I can’t let you guys stay here for more than five minutes right now, but you are free to visit him after and the next few days. If you think it lets you think better, then be our guest and stay by his side.”

* * *

 

 

            “I think…we should think about our choices separately.” His deep voice quiet and love, avoiding to up it in volume. “We should be alone as much as possible...” Ryoma suggested as they were walking back to the classroom after being ushered out by the doctor and the nurse. Ryoma wanted to spend more time with the detective, even though he was sleeping and he wasn’t up for conversation, he just wanted a minute more with the him and that additional minute meant the world to a person who so far, had no more reason to live.

  _Shuichi was his reason. He didn’t want to lose more of his sunshine._

            Each ultimate was considering his suggestion. A decision that involved not only their selves but the life of a person.  

            They weren’t even that far from the classroom but the walk back felt like an eternity. Their thoughts had been eating them away.

            “Okay…” Maki agreed, her voice distant. They were all friends, well to some extent, they weren’t strangers, but she wanted her decision to be hers and hers alone. No prompting from Rantarou, Kaede and even Kaito.

            She wanted to sort through her feelings which have reawakened in the academy.

            “I agree as well.” Kiyo piped up, heading to a direction other than the classroom. Kiyo knew two days was not enough for his decision, he wanted to start a little sooner and learning about fractions could wait. He probably doesn’t even need to learn it in the classroom, he’ll read up on it before midterms.

Kaede called out to the anthropologist.

            “Where are you going Shinguuji-kun? Classes have just started.”

            Kiyo shrugged, his indifference to the afternoon classes showing. “Back to my room. One absence won’t affect me.” Without another word, he headed towards the dorms, blocking out any more comments coming from his classmates.

            “I’ll… follow Kiyo’s example. I’m not in the mood to go to class.” Rantarou was the next one to pull away from the group. “Same reason. I always disappear so they won’t mind if I did it again.”

            “Amami-kun!” Before the pianist could utter another word, the adventure was quick to turn left, out of sight of everyone. What did she expect from a traveler?

             “Ugh. Who else is going to be skipping afternoon classes?” Kaede crossed her arms near her chest and looked at the remaining students. It wasn’t that she was angry, she knew how hard it was to concentrate now that they had bigger problems than finding “x” but she needed to know the numbers of the ones who wanted to skip.

            “I won’t rat you guys out. I’ll just come up with some excuse so we won’t get called to the headmaster’s office again for being collectively truant students. Deal?”

            Her explanation brought relief to the others. More than half wanted to skip and it was better to write the excuse than get them into trouble. She took their names, the only ones left who wanted to go to the classroom were herself, Maki, Kaito, Gonta and Kokichi which weirded Kaede out. She imagined the boy was the first one to bite at the offer to get out of class but here he was obediently listening in on the conversation and letting the others take the afternoon off. She’ll ask the boy later if he was okay.

Kaede bid her friends goodbye with one last advice before proceeding to their afternoon classes.

            “Avoid going to places where the Neo Trinity frequent. We don’t want you getting into trouble.” They nodded and separated from the classroom group.

_The next two days will be draining._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again. thank you for reading. i finally finished the freaking prologue! yas! now i can start with the chapters where i actually don't change too much on the point of view. this is a new way of writing for me so i guess my amateur side has been showing, haha. 
> 
> now onto the more pressing matters, i can't promise any weekly updates because law school has been taking up most of my time and everything just keeps me from my computer. so i do apologize if there are random times i'll update early, on time or rather late. as much as i'd like to believe i am in control of my life, we all know how much bullshit that is. 
> 
> i do want to read some spin-offs off of this idea so if you have some i want to read it. ~~please provide me with more fangirl material. please~~ or just upload any story you have lying around involving the ndvr3 babies. it would really make me happy a giggle like a child on christmas eve.  
>  the following chapters will be decided via lottery or its just me drawing lots from paper i just put in a glass. so yah even the next chapter is surprising for me but i can vouch for some things. 
> 
> -all chapters only focus on one character  
> -pov won't change ~~sorry bout the random changing again~~  
>  -timeline will happen simultaneously so unless the chapter title has no name of a character then its best to assume it happens in the time span of the two days.  
> -NOBODY HATES SHUICHI! NOT EVEN HIS HATERS! ~~this applies to the 1d world, 2d world, 3d world, 4d world, the fucking mirror dimension and all the alternate timelines~~
> 
> okay em out. thank you for reading~~~~


	6. Sunflowers [Angie Yonaga]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angie gives people one color. A color that permanently describes a person in her life forever. Yet she meets someone who manages to change into a different shade with each moment they spent with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a long time coming, but i'm here now. haha.  
> hope you enjoy this. it turned out longer again as i expected.  
> i wanted these type of chapters to be shorter so i could upload them faster but whenever i want a 2000+ word chapter i end up with 4000 or more so yeah. ~~this is 20+ pages in microsoft word dear god.~~  
>  oh well.  
> hope this is still okay.

 

She didn’t want to go to class, not that she was a truant student or anything, her grades were fairly decent but afternoon classes were the most boring part of the day. If she was given a chance to choose, she’d lock herself in her ultimate lab and continue her masterpieces with Atua rather than attend the boring classes that Neo Hope mandated them. _What was the use of knowing the Pythagorean Theory when the world only wanted her to use her talent?_

            Angie loved art too much. It was much more shocking if she chooses anything else. So when her classmates suggested they skip she was already on board without needing any other reason. Kaede vouching for them to be excused was just a bonus.

            The 53rd class separated, all having their own personal destinations in mind. While some were heading towards the outside of the building, some still chose to attend the afternoon classes.

            Angie was together with her closest friends – though one was still hesitant to accept such title from her. They were all headed towards the front court yard. Humming a soft tune while the two ultimates were talking, she skipped instead of walked, her platinum blond hair nearing silver bouncing with every step she took.

            “Angie?” Himiko spoke, her hand pulling softly on her yellow coat to get the other’s attention. Angie turned to the other and smiled. “Yeah?”

            “Tenko and I are going outside the academy to think. What about you? Do you want to come with us?” Himiko asked, her eyes looked like she wanted Angie to come with them. Of course, she wanted her to come with them, she was a dear friend.

            Even Tenko, who was usually so annoyed when she was around, _though they were a trio who were always together_ , wanted the artist to join them.  A genuine desire to spend time with Angie made her worry a little but it was sweet.

            Any other day, she would have taken them up on such an offer. Now was not the day.

            “Didn’t Ryoma say we should decide on this separately?” Her question came out more aggressively than she intended as she turned to face her two friends. She wanted to sound like her usual giddy self but the sentence escaped her lips as way too serious that it made her look like she was annoyed.

            Himiko winced and Tenko frowned, their expressions showing discomfort and guilt. Angie regretted it. She lacks tact, but her intentions were never malicious. She knew how sensitive Himiko was at times, and that Tenko was headstrong but had her own self-doubt that’s why the artist completely understood why they wanted to have someone else with them during the thinking time.

            “Nyahaha, it’s not like that.” She waved her hands in a playful manner, laughing it off as some kind of joke. “I just thought you guys would do the same.” She circled her two friends, showing them, she really didn’t mean to come as insensitive. It didn’t take long before the usual expressions of her friends came back. Good thing they didn’t take it too personally.

            “Oh yeah, Sorry Himi. I can’t. I’m going to follow Ryo’s suggestion!”

            Angie already knew where she wanted to go. There was only one place she felt safe, and it was not her dorm room. “Welp, I think this is where we separate. See you when I see you!”

            She bid her friends goodbye and skipped towards the building where her dorm was located.

 

* * *

 

            Happiness coursed through her when she passed through the white doors and entered the messy art lab. Her brushes were across the floor, paint spilt from the last time she had a project and a few canvasses were toppled over in the corner that it definitely suited Angie’s taste. It was messy, no use denying that fact but who expects an artist to be neat and tidy. _A serial killer of course!_

 Maybe Kiyo, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.

            Angie hurriedly threw the little bag she brings along to the classroom and plopped herself onto her makeshift bed with the dozens of sheets she piled in the lab. Underneath all the sheets was a mattress which was as worn out as her first painting. It wasn’t a king’s bed, but it was enough for when she gets too tired from making art and can’t make it back to the dorms.

            They provided her warmth and that was all she needed. Her two friends always tell her to request a bed from the school’s management, Angie was sure they had enough money to provide her ten beds if she wanted them to, but she always declined. Creativity was what defined her as an artist, even with Atua’s help, so if she didn’t use it at times like this, Atua would be ashamed.

Plus, it was better for her to not have something too comfy in the lab. She might never come out of it if that was the case.

            Now that she was alone, she wasn’t able to run away from her thoughts anymore. She needed to think about him, voluntarily and without reservations. The day wasn’t just starting, it was a quarter before 2 but her thoughts were filled to the brim of the boy.

             Angie indulged herself with all the portraits she had painted of the one and only Shuichi Saihara. They were definitely hard to miss. It was the only thing in the room that Angie didn’t cover with a sheet after she finishes them. Pictures that were made through the course of the first semester they spent together. She had plenty of them and it was borderline stalker level. No worries though,

            Shuichi is fully aware of all the portraits she has, she gets him to model sometimes. By model, it means letting the boy just sit on a chair and have a conversation with the other while she was busy immortalizing his face.

            Truth be told they didn’t spend much time in each other’s presence as she would like to think. He had his own circle of friends and she had hers. Others might want to believe that the detective was some social shut in and didn’t have that many friends to begin with. Well, outside of the class he really wasn’t a social butterfly but he was not alone. Not if the 53rd class had a say in it.

            It was actually impossible to not see Shuichi talking with Kaede, walking beside Maki or being dragged along by Kaito to somewhere. If he was not with any of those three he was with Rantarou in the library or had Kokichi hovering around him. There were also times when her other classmates were his companions that those who doubt Shuichi’s friendships would immediately take back their words.

Shuichi Saihara was never alone and it made much less sense to the artist that she managed to fall in love with the soft-spoken boy who she spent as much as time as she spends with Ryoma _which was not very often._

            “But I am,” she spoke as she turned to look at the ceiling, her left arm covering part of her eyes from the light.  The ceiling was left looking almost unfinished but this was her choice. The academy asked how she wanted the it too look and she chose to have it unfinished. Those little details on the ceiling serves as inspiration for her sometimes.

            Her right hand searched in the underside of her makeshift bed and pulled out what she was looking for, her mouth forming into a smile once her eyes settled on the so-called treasure. “I love Shu.”

An amateurish home-made paint brush was in her hand. A brush that she lovingly keeps safe and uses it for only one kind of painting.

            The paintings of a boy who managed to make her feel something…

 

* * *

* * *

 

            “Nyahahaha! Praise be Atua! I finally finished!” Angie was ecstatically bouncing up and down as she held up the once blank canvas, admiring the beauty of another artwork she finished. After the initial adrenaline rush, her knees gave out, making her collapse to the floor of her lab. She was tired. Dead tired.

             She had been working on a bunch of paintings and sculptures for two days straight, taking only potty breaks and slept for at max 2 hours before continuing with her creations. Even if she was starting high school in this prestigious academy, she had no excuse to stop her previous duties in making art requested. She wasn’t desperate for money, no way would Atua be appreciative of someone who succumbs to greed, but she wanted to spread the happiness her art brings to others.

            Despite her lack in energy, she was proud with how the piece turned out. The shapes she used and the unusual stokes she added were quite pretty, added with colors she used that reminded her of something mystical. _Yep this turned out pretty okay!_ Her best works were of still life, landscapes or just anything connected to replicating something else but she did okay with abstract.

In fact, this maybe was the best abstract piece she ever made!

            “Now to tell the client I finished it.”

            Ignoring the obvious muscle pains, she reached for her phone and absentmindedly tapped the call button on the supposed contact. After three rings the other line picked up.

            “H-hello…” the voice on the other end said, a bit too flustered that Angie was suspicious but she let it go. It was not her concern if the client was a bit jittery. “I have finished it! Come to my lab at the academy ASAP! Okay. Bye-onara!”

            Before the client could pitch a reply of their own she pressed the end button and threw the phone back to her desk. Walking towards the double white doors, she unlocked it so it was easier to run outside when the client arrived at the front gates, and waited. She knew he was going to come a bit later, the client was outside the academy and she didn’t know in what part of the world the person who ordered it was from so maybe waiting so intently for any sign of the client was unlikely in such a short amount of time.

            _I could sleep a little, the client won’t be here in a matter of minutes._

            Letting her drowsiness take over, she let her head lay on top of the desk, and closed her eyes, her mind entering dreamland.

            Angie was slowly waking up to soft humming. She didn’t know how long she was asleep but the warmth that enveloped her body made her want to sleep more. It was so comforting that it reminded her of the times on her island. The warmth of everyone around who were happy just to make her happy. _She greatly missed the feeling of home._

            The white-haired girl stirred, adjusting herself to a more comfortable position when a voice so soft drew her back to reality. “Oh, are you awake Yonaga-san?”

            Her eyes immediately opened to the unfamiliar voice and was greeted by the sight of her classmate staring at her – _the Ultimate Detective, right? –_ sitting on a stool from her lab, right beside where she was.

 _Navy Blue_ \- the immediate thought that entered her mind was the color that reminded her of nights on her island, looking up the stars till she fell asleep, waking up to the smiling faces of her co-villagers. It was deep, a little sorrowful and somewhat lonely but it was majestic all the same. _This boy is definitely navy blue._

            She assigns colors to everyone she meets and up until now she only ever needed one color for them. People were only worth one shade to her since none of them gave her reasons in changing their hues.

 Shuichi had the privilege of getting the color that made her the saddest.

            Not that other colors didn’t look sad, white and black looked sadder actually. In Angie’s mind however they were fascinating colors. One who’s empty that only brings up a blank slate means any color can be put into it and get not be dictated to showcase just that, and one who has too much color that it became a puddle, unable to identify whatever color was mixed in but it was entertaining to think that that it was full of color that it became an amalgam to represent it. That it was more beneath all the darkness.

             Yellow was bright and happy and light blue held some innocence in it, an optimistic feel that didn’t overshadow everything else like yellow. Red could be interpreted in many ways, even sadness depending on who she was looking at.

            A lot of the colors she assigns were all colors she really liked, but navy blue always felt weird to her. It wasn’t the prettiest of colors but it wasn’t ugly. The same feeling, she has when she looks at the shy spoken boy.

            Shuichi had a notebook at hand and a pen, his face a bit red, maybe from embarrassment from getting caught staring or just by being in the room. _Why was this person here?_

 

            “Uhh?” Her voice didn’t hide the drowsiness, feeling a sheet fall off her shoulders as she tried to sit properly. She rubbed her eyes while the detective tried to hide the red of his cheeks behind the hat he was always wearing from being caught staring.

            Why did he wear that emo-looking hat? Was he a fan of black? What was with all the avoiding of eye contact? It’s not that it looked bad on him, he suited black too much - _even with him being navy blue_ \- especially with how pale looking he was. He was so pale that Angie would believe it if someone told her that the boy had never set foot under the sun. His skin was as white as the canvasses she had in the lab.

Seeing the porcelain skin made the artist think. _Would he be angry if she paints on him?_

            Her questions washed away any trace of sleep from herself and she was openly looking for the answer, eyeing the boy in front of her. The idea of drawing on his body sparked an unusual desire inside her. _Tattoos are a form of art, aren’t they?_ Maybe a small tattoo on the arm won’t be too much of a bother to him…

            “So, uh…Why did you..uh…c-call…” he stammered, pulling his hat downward, covering most of his face which was such a shame. His eyes were downcast and his fingers were fiddling with the notepad he had. Too embarrassed to even realize that he was actually crumpling the paper.

 

            At the moment she woke up, she caught the face of the detective without the hat obstructing the view. He was quite handsome, rivaling some of her classmates like that green-haired dude and that face mask wearing one. They weren’t the type of faces that Angie falls for, they didn’t suit her taste at all but she couldn’t deny that they were attractive in some sort of way. The number of other ultimates who swooned when they passed by the halls weren’t left unnoticed by the artist. They had the popular faces and it shows in the multiple fans her two classmates managed to catch in the short span of two months.

            Without warning and to the surprise of the detective, Angie lunged herself, reaching for the boy’s hat and successfully taking it away from him. She grinned at her victory but didn’t expect to lose balance in the process. In the course of her action, she managed to push down the boy and they were set to hit the floor, bracing herself for impact she closed her eyes.

            The next moment she opened them, she laid on top of Shuichi, his body clearly aching from the impact on the floor but Angie didn’t feel the same. The boy was quite squishy and soft, much better than her make shift bed. Weird. She knew she was going to fall to the floor. The feeling of having a body under her rather than concrete was not expected. She also swore she saw the boy move to make her land on top of him rather than the floor. Maybe it was just her imagination.

            Without the stupid hat in the way, and the proximity they were sharing, she can now fully judge his face. A small gasp of wonder escaped her lips. His eye lashes were long! That was shocking and adorable. To complement the eyelashes, his face was so pretty. He could easily pass as a girl. To make it even better, there was no sign of any skin problems, no acne, blackheads, nothing! She was right when she called his skin as porcelain because it was so perfect that she couldn’t help but touch it.

            “YONAGA-SAN!” Her cool hand startled the boy and Angie was pushed somewhat strongly off by the detective causing her to roll to the chair nearby and subsequently hit her head on the edge of its legs. A thud was heard and the pain that came, made the platinum blonde wince.

            Panic immediately set into the detective and hurried himself to help the religious girl up. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. Oh my…” It didn’t take a detective to say that the other was blaming himself. “I’m sorry.” With his trembling fingers, he lifted her up slightly, letting her body lean on him and tried to look at the small bump that was forming on her head. No matter how small it was, it definitely hurt.

            It may have been because of the weak blow she suffered but Angie saw Shuichi in a different color now which was a something unusual. She only assigns one color and it was never changed before. What has been settled should not be put into question.

             He was no longer harboring the sad navy blue that she was accustomed to. He turned into a pale shade of cyan, nearing indigo. It was a color Angie rarely associated with people, it was a shade that she believed only those of a sincere heart deserved. It was not too bright yet even if you get sad looking at it, it brought hope. It didn’t cross the line of despairingly dark colors. It was just right.

            “Does it still hurt?” the boy asked, cradling her body in his arms as if he wasn’t struggling in keeping up that position. Small tremors came from the scrawny arms of the boy, making it harder for Angie to recognize the sudden burst of manliness coming from him.

            One look and anyone can see that the boy was not the embodiment of strength. Compared to the other boys in the class, Shuichi was nowhere as strong as Gonta or Kaito. Heck, even the small Kokichi beats him in gym class. It also didn’t help that his body type made him look meek and fragile, which was not that far from the truth.

            Angie propped herself up, disregarding the pain that shot through her skull with the small movement. She set her eyes on the face of the detective. He was extremely worried, borderline anxious, so she did what she did best when people around her were confused, unsure or unhappy. She gave the worried detective a soft hug. It wasn’t his fault she got the bump. It was entirely on her. Angie hoped that it got conveyed properly to the boy through this gesture.

            The moment she wrapped the other in the hug, his whole body tensed, raising his arms slightly confused on where to put them.  

            “You okay now Shu?” She said, her head slightly leaning on the detective’s chest. Even if they were sitting down, the boy was still a lot taller so unless she stands, their position would remain the same. Letting her hold on the boy a little loose, she peeked up to see he had grown ten times redder than normal. He looked like a cornered puppy and it was cute.

            She was the first one to let go, placing Shuichi’s hat back onto its rightful place, and getting up to dust off whatever dust held onto her coat. Shuichi also managed to get up by himself, finding his balance by holding onto the chair that placed them in that mess in the first place.

            “Ahh!” Before Angie could ask what, Shuichi had managed to grab her arm and with strength she didn’t know the other had, turned her to face him. “You got a scratch!” She looked down to where his eyes were and true enough, there was a small trickle of blood coming from a scratch she had. It must have been from the nail sticking out of the chair, maybe it was time to let the maintenance team of the academy in her lab.

            “Oh, don’t worry Shu, this is nothing Atua can’t fix.” The boy didn’t respond, eyes solely focused on the blood dripping from the other’s arm. “Let’s go to the infirmary. The nurse can bandage it up.” Seriously? This was just a small cut. It wasn’t life threatening and would close up on its own. There was still a lot of commissions she hasn’t even started and a trip to the infirmary was too wasteful of time. Shuichi was way too much of a worry wart.

            She tried to pull her arm away but Shuichi held her in a tight grip that actually hurt Angie. “I’m fine Shu! Let me go!” She pulled her arm again.

            “No! You should get this treated! It might get infected Yonaga-san!”

            “No! Atua says I don’t need to go to-”

            “STOP BEING SO STUBBORN!”

            Both ultimates stopped, the tension in the lab gone from the outburst, replaced by a dreadful silence _._ Angie was surprised. Never knew the meek boy could raise his voice like that.

            Without another word the Ultimate Detective turned to his back and ran full speed out of the lab, leaving a behind a bewildered Angie. What just happened? Why did his color change again!?

             While they were struggling with each other, Angie saw scarlet around Shuichi. A red of anger mixed with gentleness. Just how did the boy manage to change his color every time he did something?  

            Angie, in her surprised stupor, walked up to an easel and proceeded to place one of the blank canvasses on it. She didn’t bother with a brush and dipped her fingers into the yellow paint. A lot of people say that when she was painting the best of her works she always looked like she was possessed. All kinds of noise were cancelled out when she was concentrating on the artwork she was making. Even with the soft knock she heard, she didn’t bother and continued with the painting.

            With the last stroke, she finally wakes up from her hypnotized state. The picture she drew was a little different than what she expected. It wasn’t abstract but it wasn’t still life either. If you look at it one way you can see a flower, a sunflower with overgrowing vines, and if you tilt your head in another way you can see a heart with the flower nowhere in sight. A visual trick made from scratch. _Another work that deserves praise._

Her stomach growled. It was time for lunch! She could probably clean this up later so of course the only thing to do now was head to the dining room.

            Walking towards the door, Angie didn’t notice the fabric below and she trips, her feet tangling themselves in a white sheet. _Why was a sheet here?_ She thought then she remembered a similar sheet was wrapped around her when she woke up. _That’s right._ Shuichi must have draped it over her when she was sleeping.

            She didn’t notice it when she first woke but it was definitely that. Shuichi had put it over her and it fell when Angie woke up. The gesture was definitely sweet and was very _Shuichi._  

            The memory of Shuichi’s kindness reminded her of the scratch she had. It was still there, in all its glory. The blood had dried off on her skin, the red a bit darker than before and the tiny cut stopped bleeding for the most part. Her cut still needed disinfecting.

            “Maybe I do need to visit the infirmary…I’ll go after lunch.”

            She put on her bag and headed towards the white double doors. Angie opened the lab doors and stepped outside, her feet slightly knocking something on the floor.  She found silver tray.

            The tray was fairly big and had medical supplies. Cleaning alcohol, some cotton balls, a box of band-aids and a small roll of bandages, all for treating small wounds – _like the one she currently had._ Besides the first aid, there was a plate of rice, an omelet and other side dishes covered in plastic, eating utensils, a glass of orange juice and a small note that had the words _I’m Sorry_ scribbled on it.

            There was no name or whatsoever but Angie knew who it was from. It couldn’t be anyone else but him. The hall was empty and she did remember hearing a soft knock a while ago. Angie picked up the note to examine it, looking close at the strokes of each letter. She may not be well versed in the other’s handwriting yet somewhere in her mind, she knew that only that person was capable of writing like that.

            She instinctively reached out for the scratch on her arm, wincing from the sudden ache as her hands traced it. She didn’t mind the pain though. She just needed a distraction from the loud beating of her heart and the heat on her cheeks.

 

* * *

* * *

 

            It was late April, Angie was walking alone towards the dorms, as the day was ending with nothing to take note, indulging herself in thoughts she never imagined she would have. She was wondering if they _knew_.

             She spotted some people on her way back, and a smile crept up. She saw the person she wanted to see the most, casually walking in all his shy glory.

            “Shu!” Angie ran full speed towards the detective, jumping at him while wearing a cheeky grin. The dark-haired boy was obviously caught by surprise, for all he knew, she came out of nowhere, but he didn’t second guess in catching her. He was not letting his classmate fall and get hurt.

When Shuichi caught her, the artist wasted no time in hugging the detective’s head, making the latter gasp.

            In his arms, Angie took note of how different the boy was compared to the first time he tried to lift her. Unlike before, where even the slightest movement from her could cause him to lose his balance, he was now steady, arms not shaking from the weight of the Ultimate Artist and actually stood his ground. Even if they only started training a month ago, the effects of said training were showing. Kaito was really passionate with training, roping in Maki and Shuichi with him and in a way, she was thankful. Their little training sessions gave Shuichi confidence, even if it was only a little.

            She liked it. Meek and shy Shuichi would always be Angie’s favorite but reliable Shuichi was great too!

            “You caught me Shu!” She yelled, raising her arms up in glee, her legs doing the same while still being carried by the ultimate detective. “You are now blessed by Atua!” As energetic as ever, she cheered at the strength the boy was demonstrating.

            Shuichi immediately looked the other way, sporting soft blush on his cheeks, noticing how her skirt was riding up her thigh and her chest a bit more visible from his angle. Angie knew what happened, she’d done this many times before, but seeing the detective get embarrassed by as little skin as that was always cute. _Ever the gentleman~_

            “So, Shu, can I have it now?” She asked, not caring if her cleavage was in full view of the other. Shuichi looked away but there was something else than embarrassment in his eyes. Confusion.

            The boy couldn’t quite comprehend what she said. Did she say something weird? Shuichi should probably know about it by now or did he really have no clue.  

             “Woah, Angie what are you doing?” Kaito, who was left unnoticed by Angie suddenly spoke up. _When in the world did he get here?_ Angie thought, forgetting the fact that she saw two people walking towards the dorms.

            Kaito’s eyes showed he was curious as to why the artist just jumped to the arms of his best friend. “Are you playing a game with Shuichi?”

            “Nooooooooooo.” Angie said in her usual accent. She let the word on for a little too long confusing the already confused astronaut in training.

            “Then what are you asking him? Like, why the sudden clinginess? You’re like Kokichi right now...” He pointed out, a grimace definite in his face as he remembered something the other two couldn’t see. Despite the rather negative expression, it was definitely well-meaning and Angie didn’t take offense but what she did take offense was how mentioning the other’s name worked like a summoning spell.

She didn’t hate the guy but he was super annoying that it can even test Atua’s kindness.

            “You called stupid astronaut. Nishishishi.” The Ultimate Supreme Leader appeared behind a bench, seemingly waiting for the perfect moment to appear and disrupt the three ultimates. How in the world did they not notice him behind that bench? One more question is why would he do that though? Just wait behind a bench and come out at the right moment?

 Either he was crazy patient in revealing himself, or he was just crazy. Angie betted on the latter.

            “Before I address your astronomical idiocy,” Kokichi started, clearly referring to Kaito’s previous accusations of him. Kaito protested with a hey. He turned towards Angie and Shuichi his face turning blank. “What are you doing Yonaga-chan?”

            “Hanging out with them.” Angie stated, not seeing what was bothering the other. Kokichi’s face turned from blank expression to a sinister smile.

            “I can see that,” Kokichi was annoyed.

            “Well, why is your fat-ass burdening my beloved Shuichi-chan. You do know you’re as much of a pest as that fool Kaito to him righttt?” Bringing his finger near his lips, Kokichi was letting his toxic words spill. As per usual, the words that come out of his mouth were not for the weak-willed. Most of the time they were really harmless threats. Any other person who heard him would undoubtedly be offended but when you were forced to spend most of your school life with the purple gremlin, you’d get used to it.

Some however, were still adjusting to the situation.

            Angie didn’t really take whatever Kokichi says seriously. It was a waste of time to let someone like Kokichi, who enjoyed getting on a person’s nerves, get to you. It was better to ignore the guy than latch onto everything he says. Unfortunately, Kaito has yet to learn the ability to ignore him.

            Kaito got fed up, easily like always and threw a punch, which the supreme leader expertly avoided. This annoyed the astronaut more.

            Kokichi wasn’t finished with Angie. Taking the chance while Kaito was still down, he flipped him off and then returned glaring at Angie.

 She shrugged, letting her arms drape over the shoulders of Shuichi, placing the detective in an embrace, knowing full well what it would do. She earned another scornful look from the purple boy.

            “Ouma-kun, Momota-kun stop fighting,” Shuichi sighed, slowly putting Angie down, much to her refusal. She wanted to cling more to him.

            Shuichi’s voice caught their attention, mumbling some sort of protest. Shuichi’s puppy face then came into play and made the two comply. The minute Angie was out of Shuichi’s arm, Kokichi did what he was told and turned his back on Kaito. Unbeknownst to Shuichi, Kokichi had stuck his tongue out to Kaito, inciting anger from the astronaut and made him continue his previous effort to attack. Kokichi took a quick step to the left, evading the latest attack, making Kaito rush to an empty space and trip, landing on his belly. Okay, that was a little funny.

            “Ahh! Momota-kun are you okay?” Shuichi immediately asked, holding Kokichi by his cape to stop him from getting close to the other boy and making the situation worse. Kaito didn’t hide his disdain and was already ready to kill Kokichi but the small giggle that escaped Shuichi’s lips wasn’t missed by Angie nor Kokichi.

            Kaito and Kokichi were the total opposites of each other, and it made sense to their class that they were not on good terms. Kaito, who was too straightforward, would never mesh well with a boy who lies like he was breathing air. Angie decided to help Kaito up, brushing off some of the dirt and dust that stuck to his coat.

            All the while, Shuichi had been attending to the supreme leader. The black cape, which Angie rarely saw on the Ultimate Supreme Leader, was a bit crooked with the wind blowing. _Kokichi’s cape really made him look like a villain_. His face already sufficient in drilling that point down. _A villain who was not THAT of a threat._

            Shuichi made the small boy turn to him and like a mother to her child, levelled himself with the small boy to fix the cape, tying a knot into a small bow. His fingers were careful and the way it turned out, it seemed Shuichi was well versed in it. “You’re really good at that Shu.” Angie couldn’t help admire how effortlessly he made it look.

            “Ahh yes well, Shinguuji-kun had been teaching me a few knots. Good to know I’m not letting him down.” He chuckled, finishing it off with one last pull. That pesky string won’t come undone anytime soon judging by how tightly Shuichi pulled.

 Kokichi didn’t move or complain. He was just staring blankly at the boy as he was busy with the string on his cape. He was obedient and it was quite out of character.  

            Truthfully, Angie was getting a little bit jealous.

            “I’m fine dude. A little fall won’t take out the Luminary of the Stars!”

            As if to let the others know he was still there, Kaito was spouting his usual schtick. Yup, he was fine. No doubt. If he really got hurt, then he wouldn’t be his usual self.

            “Hah, you really suck Momota-chan.” Kokichi, snickered. He was back to his usual self and was already meeting the quota Kaito had in putting up with his bullshit today. _Honestly it wasn’t a lot._ When Shuichi stepped away from the supreme leader to help his best friend up, Kaito growled, startling not only the detective but the supreme leader as well.

            “Come here you pipsqueak!”

            “Waaaaaah!” Finding his previous gusto, he ran after Kokichi who was smart enough to get a head start. Their silhouettes disappeared from where the other two ultimates were. Their voices fading as the sun began to set.

Now it was just Angie and Shuichi.

            Since their incident at her lab, with Angie calling Shuichi, apologizing for mistakenly calling him instead of the client and Shuichi apologizing for raising his voice and overstepping his bounds as a classmate, which was not that big of a deal to Angie, they managed to spend time with just them.

            It was more of an effort on Shuichi’s part, constantly being the one to reach out and wait when he found the other was too busy.  He said it was for making up for being rude that time but along the way he confessed he just enjoyed her company, which stirred some unknown feelings inside Angie.

            They spent time either in Angie’s lab, making the boy be her model, or in the greenhouse on the academy grounds. Apparently, Shuichi had somehow become an honorary member of the gardening club and they gave him a key so he could come in and out as he pleased. Angie liked the greenhouse, there were a lot of fascinating plants and no one was going to bother her if she wanted to paint them. Shuichi accompanied her throughout the day, bringing a book to read and replying when Angie wanted to talk.

            “Seems like Momota-kun has left me, again.” he sighed, not angry or disappointed, one that just expressed that it was expected. Shuichi immediately forgave Kaito for leaving him without notice? Really?

            Angie noted that aside from the time Shuichi shouted at her, she never really saw Shuichi get angry at any of them. Shuichi would just sigh or laugh it off. Was this what they call the nice guy syndrome? Cuz if it is so, she worries for the boy. Some people might abuse it and she won’t back down from fighting someone who intends to hurt him in any way.

No one offered but the two ultimates walked together towards the academy building. Silence, a comfort for both of them letting the sound of their steps and the rustling of the leaves their only source of sound. Being interrupted by both Kaito and Kokichi, she didn’t have the courage to bring up whatever she had intended when she first saw Shuichi. It would just turn really awkward.

            “Ahh, where are you headed to Yonaga-san?” he asked, slowing his own pace to match the strides of the shorter girl. Sweet gesture but not necessary. Angie could hold her own.  

            “I told you Shu! Call me Angie!” Despite her shorter stature, she flicked at his forehead, puffing her cheeks to showcase a little anger, not that she could get angry at the boy. It was just that they should been over the hurdle of getting embarrassed by saying their first names. They weren’t strangers anymore.

She told him that so many times that it would rival Kaito’s favorite tagline _Luminary of the Stars!_

            “Ah. Yes I remember you saying that.” He scratched the back of his neck.

            “Sooooo, do it.”

            “…An..Angi…Yonaga-san,” Shuichi backtracked, squashing any sort of progress he had made. She should have found it cute but the artist was upset. She knew full well that no one could change Shuichi in a night, but it had been days since he started opening up and Angie opened up with him. Why was he still so hell-bent on being respectful?

Angie had never felt _this_ upset before.  

            “Never mind _Saihara-kun_.” The last name of the other felt foreign on her tongue but she wasn’t going to take it back.

            “I got something to do. Bye…” Her farewell was too bland. She wanted to hide her feeling of discomfort but that farewell did not do it. In fact, she was just making it too obvious. She started sprinting to the dorms, not looking back even when she heard the boy calling for her. She was stupid for acting like some spoiled child. _I’m not on the island anymore. I shouldn’t be so selfish!_

            Scolding herself, she locked the door to her room, her thoughts swarming her like bees. She couldn’t believe she was that much of a brat. Angie wanted to believe she had grown up when she left her home but here she was throwing a hissy fit from not getting what she wanted. She hated herself right now.

            She entered her shower and sat down on the bathroom floor, letting the water wash away the tears that were streaming down her face, clutching her knees like it was the last lifeline she had.

 Angie didn’t even remember getting out of the shower.

            It was past the school’s nighttime when she woke up, her stomach hungry from missing dinner. She was in no mood to go down to the dining hall and even if she was, the doors would be closed by now. Automatic doors were installed for the gym and the dining hall so it automatically opens and locks depending on its setting. _They learned this because someone got unlucky and fell asleep inside the dining hall early this semester._

Today was just not Angie’s day. This was the worst. It should have gone better. She hoped it had gone better than whatever she got. Depression settled in like it was planning to stay and it was all she could think about in the night. How she did something unforgiveable to someone she treats dearly?

            A soft breeze came into her room, coming from the window she left open. It felt nice, to feel something other than utter disappointment in life choices and she welcomed every levity of it, letting the cold night air pass through her unruly hair. She let it be for a few minutes before deciding it was better to not let anymore bugs in. She got up from her bed and headed for her open window.

 Then, before reaching for its handles to close it, a noise from below startled her. Peering out, she came face to face with a face she wasn’t expecting. The shy detective was looking back at her. Wait, wasn’t this room on the second floor?

            “Wha…”

            “Ahh!” They bumped their heads, making the boy lose balance, flailing his arms in the air. He was about to fall. Angie immediately reached out and manage to grab the sleeve of his uniform and in turn grabbed his one of his hands with both of hers. Gravity made it harder for the small girl to pull the boy up as well as the obvious size difference.

What kept her going was the adrenaline rush. If she let go, Shuichi was going to fall, and even if he wasn’t going to die from falling, he was going to get hurt and she doesn’t want that.

            Angie’s hands were slipping from Shuichi’s and gravity almost won, the boy slipping slowly away from her. However, Angie wasn’t a quitter. Reciting a prayer to Atua in her head, she tightened her grip and put her all her strength into one strong tug. 

            She finally managed to pull him up, bringing him into her room and tumble down to the floor, breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush. A small bag fell in with Shuichi when he was pulled up, causing a small thud to sound, as well

            Angie was breathing really heavily, partly because of the sudden exert in physical strength and the other because of relief. Angie was happy she had enough strength not to let Shuichi go.

            “Ahh. Thank you…” Shuichi was the first one of the two who caught his breath, sitting up to properly look at Angie. “I mean for saving me.”

            “Are you an idiot?” Angie mumbled, still Shuichi heard it.

            “Huh?”  

            “What are you doing climbing up to my room Shu!? You could have been seriously hurt if you had fallen from here!” She scolded, pushing herself up from the floor to face the source of her worries. Her heart wrenched by the mere thought of the boy getting himself into such a predicament. She thought he was smarter than this.  Why was he acting like he was not the embodiment of logical decisions and doing something Kaito would do?

            “Why are you so stupid sometimes!?” Angie’s voice never got that loud before. Anger was never her strong suit, but Shuichi’s actions just set her off. From the short time she spent with him, it was clear he always put others before himself. That behavior of the boy just pisses her off.

             Her anger didn’t disappear but a form of yearning overtook her and she let herself go. She hugged the boy so tight, an unknown fear of losing Shuichi, letting tears fall from her eyes. Angie was stunned to her sudden change in emotion. To think this boy had the ability of making her feel so much despair in a mere span of minutes yet be everything she needed to feel safe. If he wasn’t the Ultimate Detective, she would believe that making her die from overthinking was his talent.

            Unlike how it usually was when Angie had hugged the boy, this time, he did not tense. His shoulders were relaxed and there was no sign that he was surprised. He welcomed the gesture openly, making Angie’s heart clench. _She was a mess._

            Shuichi ran his fingers through her hair then gave her head a soft pat before returning her hug. He was softly apologizing to the artist through the whole ordeal for worrying her. This made Angie bawl and Shuichi let her, not minding the wet spot that was forming on his jacket.

The tears weren’t just for his reckless behavior, it contained all her emotions today and she was ever thankful for the boy. They spent a few minutes in that position, no words exchanged and that was fine. 

            “What are you even doing here Shu?” Angie blew her nose into a tissue before discarding it into the trash bin.

            Their conversation continued when Angie was sure she had let out everything she was building up, cleaning herself of her tears and snot that built up. Shuichi assisted her throughout.

They were now sitting down on the small sala each room had.

            She had been wondering why Shuichi was outside her window of all places, climbing up a ladder like he was some kind of Romeo. He may be handsome and a gentleman but Angie was certain Shuichi wasn’t as suave as she imagines him to be. It made her more curious to see the bag that Shuichi brought with him. It wasn’t what he usually brought to class and it was a bit bulky. She didn’t hide her interest on the object and continued to stare at it, making her own guesses on what it had inside.

            “Ahh. Yeah. This was my reason.” Shuichi opened his bag and reached into it. He pulled out a brush, specifically a paint brush which had a yellow ribbon tied to its body. Angie tilted her head not quite sure what to make of the situation.

Was Shuichi going to ask her about the brush?

            She had seen many of brushes in her life, she was an artist after all, but she couldn’t pinpoint what brand it was, making it odd. Angie was confident in her ability and knowledge of art. The brush in his hand was making her question her very title.

 Shuichi’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

            “Happy Birthday Angie!”

            He was smiling, offering the brush in his hands to her. It was a gift. A gift for her. Shuichi was giving her a gift on her birthday!

            Angie was stunned. Words were not enough to express what she was feeling. Happiness, surprise, _love._ It was a cluster of emotions that she didn’t have any way of showing. She wanted to say a few things, more on the path of gratitude but it was in vain. The only thing she did was let her tears roll out. She thought she had been dried up, crying since she came back to her room, but here she was letting her tears convey her gratitude. _He didn’t forget._ That fact alone was enough to make her cry more.

            “I thought you forgot.” She replied through tears, holding the present that Shuichi brought. The brush on her hand was smooth and of good quality. It wasn’t on the same level as what she normally used, not that it mattered. She honestly didn’t care if it was a subpar brand. She was just really happy that someone remembered her birthday and to top it off, it was someone she held dearly.

            “Of course, I won’t forget,” Shuichi replied. “I just didn’t find the opportunity to give you your present.” He offered her a handkerchief and she readily took it, wiping away her newly formed tears on it. That handkerchief felt warmer than her covers on her skin. How did Shuichi manage to give these items such an effect on her?

            “Do you like it? I mean the brush? I made it myself,” Shuichi shyly proclaimed, his face sporting a tint of red as usual. “I wanted to give it earlier today but I wasn’t quite finished with the coating and I didn’t want to give you a half-baked present. I know it’s crappy compared to what you already have, but…”

            “You…made this?” Angie asked stopping the boy from derailing. She was quite shocked by the fact Shuichi shared.

            “Uh. Yeah. I had Tojo-san help me, I kind of sucked at making it.” He laughed it off, placing both of his hands in front of himself as if to show it wasn’t a big deal. Now that she saw it, his fingers had a few healed cuts, all looked like they came from getting cut from a knife. “I started last month but I kept failing so I decided to ask for help.”

            “Why didn’t you ask me?” she said, knowing full well how stupid it was.

            “Well, it’s your present. I wanted to surprise you…”

            “Thank you, Shu,… really thank you so much.”

            Nobody had greeted her a happy birthday today. Even Himiko was too busy with her school work that Angie was ignored when she dropped by her Ultimate Lab. She didn’t know if her other classmates would have known about it, they didn’t meet at all today. The feeling of loneliness had always been with Angie since she started going to Neo Hope but it was stronger knowing that people here didn’t give a damn if it was her special day.

            Angie was used to having everyone around her celebrating with her, but all she received today was the system generated message from Neo Hope and the letter from her parents. It was an empty birthday, and her earlier fight with Shuichi made it even sadder. She tries so hard to be happy and cheery for her sake. Loneliness was always the reason that made her façade crumble down.

            Shuichi managed to turn it all around. She couldn’t explain how he does it, the ability to make Angie convert all her negative thoughts disappear with his smile, but she knows he does it well.  

            In that moment, Shuichi was a warm orange. The type that envelops your body in its glow to let you know that even if it was weak and fading, it was there. Providing warmth to your body and soul. He was a sunset and it was hypnotizing.

            “Why don’t we eat?” He reached into his bag and pulled out a few containers with food. He also put out a small box, one that had the logo of the small bakery she was frequently visiting. “I bought a small cake from Ruru’s. Let’s celebrate!”

             They ate and talked like the fight earlier didn’t happen. Angie never expected her first birthday in the mainland was this eventful. It made her feel so much in the time span of so little and it was overwhelming.

            “By the way Shuichi, I forgive you.” She chimed in when she finished her piece of cake. Shuichi was busy organizing the books on Angie’s bookcase. They were more of reference material than the ones in Shuichi’s room.

            “For what Yonaga-san?”

            “Don’t think I didn’t notice you use my first name earlier as some sort of apology Shu!”

            Angie had no basis for assuming it, it was totally a random shot but the way Shuichi tried to hide himself under his cap again, it was safe to say she landed on a bull’s eye.

            “I j-just thought it would make you h-happy.” He stuttered.

            It did. It did and even went beyond. “Are you happy?”

            In a soft whisper-like voice she said, “Yes.”

            A satisfied smile formed on his lips.

            He headed for the window again, if he used the door some misunderstandings might arise. He didn’t want to face questioning from anyone who might be outside right now. Shuichi looked out the window, surveying the environment for a classmate and the Neo Trinity. When he saw no one was there, he pulled a rope, placing the ladder he used to get up back onto the side of the dorm. He waved goodbye and started down, Angie not letting the boy out of her sight in case he trips. While going down, Shuichi’s eyes widened and started climbing back up. Angie wondered if he forgot something.

            Instead of going back inside, he stayed out, his feet planted on the last step on the ladder and his right hand keeping his balance by holding onto the ledges. The moon illuminated his body and he looked ethereal.

            Shuichi reached for an object on her window, an object she forgot she even put there and pulled it off. He brought the object up, as if to show the other ultimate what he had caught.  

            “You won’t be needing this sickle, anymore right? Yonaga-san’s not sad anymore.” He placed it down to the floor and turned to look at the Ultimate Artist again, “I saw you put it up yesterday and I’m sorry it took so long for me to get here. Happy Birthday again.”

            With that last piece, he headed down the ladder, leaving Angie alone, her thoughts all jumbled from what happened.

            Not only did the boy remember her birthday he also remembered what she told him that one afternoon in her lab. _“If you feel sad and lonely at night, you stab a sickle into your window. Anyone who sees it just can’t ignore it. They gotta console that person.”_

Her eyes never left the boy as he casually walked up to the main door of the dorms, avoiding any potential witnesses to his visit. Before entering, he glanced up at Angie who was by her window and gave her a small wave, trying his best not to look suspicious.

            Angie returned a smile the other didn’t get to see, one filled with so much love while clutching the best present she had ever received.

* * *

* * *

 

            Beautiful memories of the detective flashed through her mind like it was a movie on fast-forward. Seeing him at the entrance ceremony, where he was as noticeable as a black fly on a blackboard to the day he first let his face be shown without his hat. She also remembered their first class outing where seeing Shuichi in swimming trunks and a hoodie almost made her slip into the pool because she was too focused on the said boy.

            Memories of her and Shuichi, the time they spent together, were crystal clear in her mind as if all of that just happened yesterday. Looking back, that accidental call was what caused her to fall for the boy out of nowhere.

            Shuichi’s constant effort to develop some sort of connection between them didn’t help in quelling the dangerous excitement she felt whenever she saw the boy. It was Shuichi’s fault for being so freaking likeable that by the time her birthday arrived, she was sure she Shuichi occupied her mind as much as Atua and art.

            Her feet were now propped up on a nearby stool as she let her upper body lay on her makeshift mattress. She was still holding onto the brush, hoping it would let her decide for the better. The decision of yes or no was a heavy burden. Two days were far too short to decide on something like this! In her frustration she kicked the stool, tipping it over but she could care less. She screamed into her pillow, making sure it was muffled enough to not cause a ruckus.

Angie wanted more time but that was impossible.

             Doctor Hinata told them that surgery should be done at the earliest possible time. From the way he was speaking, Angie understood that delaying the said operation would just be endangering Shuichi’s life, his state from when they got to see him was already the worst she had seen of him. Two days was already too long. Doctor Hinata was really generous giving them that.

            Remembering him lying on the metal bed in the infirmary made her stomach churn but seeing it for the first time was even worse. They were excited when they were given the chance to at least see the boy. Euphoric even to see their sick friend, or love interest if Angie took account what the doctor said, after all the doom and gloom news about him.

The sight of him as pale as a ghost with an IV drip attached did not help.

            Shuichi looked peaceful enough sleeping in that bed, but his skin and the way beads of sweat was forming on his forehead was not a good sign. Despite him sleeping, it was clear to Angie that he had difficulty in breathing, his chest suddenly rising at uneven rates. Angie silently thanked the nurse when she saw her get something to help Shuichi breathed when they were filing out of the infirmary.

            “Atua…” She spoke, knowing full well that communicating with Atua mentally would suffice. Right now, she just wanted to say it.

            “I love Shu, even more than I thought I could and I don’t want to lose him anytime soon.” She stopped, it felt a little wrong so she changed it, “I don’t want to lose Shu _ever.”_ Okay that was a bit better. Saying the sentence made her stomach act up, no she mustn’t be negative. The idea was sickening to her and she hated that she even considered it happening.

            Atua will help him. The shady doctor as well. He looked reliable enough and he knew what he was doing. Angie needed to trust them to make Shuichi better. They were the only ones she could believe in.

            She inhaled trying to ease out the panic forming in her chest, then let it out, continuing her monologue. “My obvious choice is to say yes to the operation. I don’t mind the side effects. As long as he was alive it was okay.”

            She took one last look at the brush. She found her resolve. Putting the prized brush back to her hiding spot, she stretched her arms out, a few popping sounds heard.

            “It’s decided!” She cheered, her body full of energy she didn’t thought she had. Yes, when all this is over, whether Shuichi remembers her or not, she was going to confess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo, i'm finally getting to the part of the story that i thought of first and wrapped the idea around it. the idea of showing how everyone saw shuichi! wooooh ~~the love part is just for my enjoyment initially~~ the next chapters are mostly gonna be like this, flashbacks, decision time or anything i find compelling to add. 
> 
> now for possible questions.  
> -i don't have a definite order on which ultimate goes next for a chapter since all chapters occur in the span of two days. i do have biases and to make this fair i just randomly pick the next ultimate from a box thus angie yonaga is the first one introduced XD she really is blessed by Atua.  
> -some may become ooc because i really don't have much to work with, even with the main characters of the game. my headcannon for them might not be to your liking so i apologize for that.  
> -there's gonna be a special chapter that includes dr1 or dr2 people while the ndvr3 peeps are having their personal crisis. just some fluff since a friend of mine seriously wants to see interactions with them so yah. imma give her what she wants  
> -again, i'm terribly sorry for any mistakes in the chapter. i always seem to leave something out even though i read this about five times before posting. 
> 
> but christmas break is here so hallelujah for rest and relaxation!!! let us indulge ourselves with festivities we don't normally do hahahahaha. 
> 
> thank you for reading!


	7. [6.5] Sunflowers with a side of Komaeda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagito goes wherever Hajime goes. That was a solid fact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  
> is what i would like to say but here i am a few days late. i am so sorry.  
> hope this chap is fine.  
> as usual, no edits made until i read this the next day hahaha

“HINATA-KUN!!!!!!”

            Not so far from the gates of Neo Hope one could see white hair bobbing up and down excitedly, running as fast as they could while frantically waving their arm. It was almost cute to see an adult man be that excited to see a friend, greeting them with a smile that rivaled those who won the lottery. Hajime on the other hand, dreaded the impending disaster which was Nagito Komaeda, his secretary and someone he reluctantly calls a friend, as he waited for him to reach where he was standing by the large gates of Neo Hope.

            Hajime knew the moment he asked for the favor, Nagito got his location on a gps and tracked him down, rushing towards him by any means his own wealth provided him. He always did that, not that it stopped being surprising to see someone so dedicated in his stalking as to buy their own helicopter. How could anyone explain how fast the man got to Neo Hope when he just called to have him be assisted?

            Hajime believed that his obsession was misplaced admiration, though Nagito adamantly denies it, saying it was somewhere on the lines of true love. Hajime, or more likely Izuru will never believe it. Nagito was someone who held Hope’s Peak at a godly pedestal so Hajime natural assumed that the behavior he showcased towards him was more for his persona as the Ultimate Hope than one of genuine like. He may have been living as Hajime right now, but he was still the artificially created Izuru Kamakura underneath.

If he wasn’t a part of Hajime Hinata then Izuru wouldn’t be making effort for such a boring person.

            The previous Hajime Hinata was friends with Nagito, or that’s what he was told. People even dared say there were best buddies – that didn’t exactly sit well with the Ultimate Hope -  but before, Nagito wasn’t clingy towards him like he was right now. He was normal, a word that is rarely used to describe Nagito. Izuru had come to ask their various classmates about his relationship with Nagito and none of them accounted for his obsessive behavior before.

            Nagito was always where Hajime was but that was that. No weird phone calls at night, spamming of messages with random proclamations of love and most/best of all no stalking. They all said that when they took notice of the white-haired boy again, he was deep into his crazy that they couldn’t pinpoint where it all began.

            But something Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician, said stuck to Izuru. During his preliminary investigation of the weirdness that is Nagito she mentioned something.

            “Nagito-kun was really bummed out when you first went missing Hajime. I mean before your eyes turned red.” She pointed at his eyes, stressing the fact that his eyes were red then, and Hajime had a soft golden hue. “He always looked lost and that was the same time Chiaki was…you know.” Ibuki bit her bottom lip to stop herself temporarily. Izuru didn’t comment on it. “He looked pathetic and Souda-kun and Kuzuryu-kun tried to make him cheer up even if their methods were quite unusual.”

            “Then, a few weeks later we heard from headmaster Jin that you accepted the offer to become the Ultimate Hope. Nagito was absent that day but when we texted him about that he said he already knew. The next days he refused to come to class. When he did return, that was about two weeks before you were released, he had a crazy look and babbled about hope non-stop. More than usual where he just mentioned it in passing, that time, everything that came out of his mouth was about hope. Then the rest is history hahaha.”

 

            “You got here fast.” Hajime commented, taking notice of the paper bag in the other’s hand. His eyes were giving off a piercing glare and it gave Nagito a shiver, something he enjoyed tremendously. Nagito offered the bag up to Hajime and he took it, opening it up to find the documents he requested stuffed into said bag.  

            “Of course, it was Hajime who asked this of me. Scum like me should not let someone as amazing as you waiting.” As if on cue, the self-deprecating of Nagito started. This was another thing that irritated the Ultimate Hope of the luckster. When he wasn’t giving his weird dialogue about hope and stuff, he was putting himself down.

            Izuru didn’t really care of the white-haired boy but he promised everyone that he was going to live as Hajime and the Hajime in him always cared for the crazy-hope obsessed boy that Izuru had no choice to acknowledge that he held himself in no good light.

            “You’re not scum.” He tried to reassure the other boy, trying to emulate the way the previous Hajime would say it. Emphasis on try because Izuru Kamakura had as much empathy as a rock.

            The white-haired boy smirked, something he did often, but there was something in that expression that Izuru didn’t understand. “Ha, you can’t fool me. Hajime~ your _Izuru_ is showing.” The playful tone did not hide the intent and Hajime reeled back, trying to find where he went wrong.

            As troublesome as he was, Nagito was the only one who could see if the behavior was of Hajime or Izuru. He did not know how he did it and when he asks how he noticed all he would say is _because I’m the one who knew you the best._

 He takes what Nagito comments on his personality into memory, trying to mold his current personality to the best of his ability to that of Hajime.

            “Come with me to the infirmary. Tsumiki is here as well.” Hajime told Nagito when he noticed him drooling over his shoulder, leading the way into the school. He also noticed the way Nagito’s hand immediately retracted itself from reaching out to his. _Did the previous Hajime let Nagito hold his hand?_ Izuru wasn’t so sure. To meet him half-way he slowed down a bit to not strain Nagito. He couldn’t just leave Nagito here, he was as clueless as a freshman when it came to Neo Hope.

            Aside from Mikan and maybe Nekomaru, none of the other ultimates of his class were familiar with the school. It may have been designed with Hope’s Peak in mind but there were still differences especially in the landmarks.

            Nagito was quiet the entire way, curious to all the buildings and rooms inside the academy. He noticed how everything was placed, materials used for the infrastructures and even the small details of not restraining much of the students’ freedom. It was different from Hope’s Peak which was good. Hope’s Peak in name was the best school but no one could suspect the shady business running in the background.

            Their previous headmaster Kirigiri was okay for the most part, the board of regents were demons. They treated the students with little respect, only giving them that when they were planning to use their talents to gain money. Neo Hope had better management at least, coming from people who experienced the hell of Hope’s Peak and putting an end to it.

            Nagito silently followed the Ultimate Hope into the infirmary, he didn’t even remember what path they took to get to there. The new school was big, even bigger than Hope’s Peak. Nagito did not have the attention span to remember every nook of this gigantic school.

            Hope’s Peak was prestigious there was no doubt, but Neo Hope was even grander, with all the latest facilities that would make his alma mater cower. The space for plants and buildings made him a bit jealous that these were not around when he attended a similarly named academy.

             All these ultimates have the chance to use it freely in the name of cultivating hope! Okay, now that was an idea he could get behind. If there were ultimate labs in his time, it would have been perfect though he doesn’t know how the Ultimate Luckster’s lab would look like. His talent was quite obscure.

            When they arrived at the infirmary, it was well past 3. Mikan was busy changing the cold towel on their patient’s forehead, he was still sleeping. Hajime knocked slightly on the desk to get her attention, careful enough so that it wasn’t too loud to wake up Shuichi. Mikan looked up and when she saw the white haired luckster, she greeted her former classmate with a smile and a small wave. Nagito returned the gesture.

            From the divider, he saw Mikan tending to a boy who he did not recognize. _This must be Hajime’s latest patient_. The one who was suffering from reverse hanahaki much like Hajime did in the past.

             The boy was already attached to equipment Nagito himself was quite familiar with. The sight of the IV drip made Nagito grimace at memories he wished gone. His disease may have been treated by Hajime the moment he returned but his dementia was still there. Not as prominent as before but achingly present to not let him forget his uselessness.  

            His talent was a double-edged sword, giving him luck beyond comprehension but with setbacks that were too dreadful to take on by any normal human. They years of experiencing this made Nagito immune.

            “Is he okay Hinata-kun?” Nagito asked, wanting to strike up a conversation with his _friend._ As expected, Hajime didn’t avoid the question and actually opened up in answering. “Barely.”

            The reply still came as a surprise for the white-haired luckster… He had been accustomed to Hajime just ignoring him generally.

            “I let his classmates think about the possible surgery.”

            “I see.”

            Nagito took another look at the sleeping boy and he remembered how much he had cried when he first saw Hajime like that. He blamed himself for the misfortune that befell his dear friend. His luck was an absolute power that was hard to control and it was logical to think that the bad luck affected the person he spent the most time with. Seeing the boy bedridden awakened all his past fears. The fear of losing someone and being left alone again. He might have lived all by himself in the past but he didn’t want to relive such days again.

            “Hope he pulls through.” Nagito mumbled, looking solemnly at the detective. He was projecting the image of his own friend and it pulled his heartstrings, making him show worry, he rarely did so.

            Hajime couldn’t believe what he heard and more so on what he saw. He was so used to Nagito being happy and optimistic or even sarcastic that the sight of him having genuine concern was foreign and new. With that he learned once more how complicated emotion and personality was.

            Nagito had more personality than Izuru.  This just means Hajime had more to learn.

 

 

* * *

 

 

            It didn’ take long for the sympathy Hajime felt for Nagito to turn into annoyance once the focus of Nagito shifted from the patient to him. Like a child in a candy store, he looked at Hajime with amazement and awe as he browsed through the documents he requested Nagito to bring. It was a mundane task, no excitement at all, but the boy was content in observing the Ultimate Hope do his job. It wouldn’t be a bother if he just kept his mouth shut, but Nagito Komaeda won’t make things easier for Hajime.

            He snuck in a snide comment whenever Hajime didn’t expect it plus some remark about how perfect he was with a hint of sarcasm in between. He wasn’t sarcastic per say but his voice made you think otherwise. _The usual Nagito_.

            Hajime tried his best, pushing away the want to terminate his secretary permanently as he skimmed through more documents about his own experience with the disease. With how quickly Nagito got here, Hajime was impressed with the detail and content of each document he gathered.

            There weren’t many cases regarding reverse hanahakis, not many people would come to like the same person of course. Like has varying degrees and reverse hanahaki, as far as Hajime has researched, concerned itself more on love and beyond, platonic feelings play a minor part in its manifestation but one quite large in its gravity.

            It was concerning how little information they had. Even pop idols and actors had difficulty getting the disease which was ironic since they live off being adored by a number of people. Going by what he knows, personal connection may play a part in it manifesting as well as physical contact. Celebrities don’t interact that much with the same fans on a daily basis unlike his sample size – which composes of himself and one other.

            Mikan left the room earlier, a few of the ultimates practicing for the Talent Festival got themselves hurt and she decided to go down the grounds herself rather than they make an effort to come to the infirmary. She left the two friends alone with the patient, a first aid kit in tow. Shuichi had been asleep for the most part which was a good sign. Hajime remembered that the disease made him feel so tired but prevented him from sleeping and in three days’ time he even refused to eat. Izuru may have not experienced it himself, but Hajime Hinata’s memories were easy to access once the Ultimate Hope had earned the desire to do so.

             The surgery, if his classmates decide to pull through it, will take up most of his energy as well as his cognitive abilities. Storing some via sleep was a good choice. The young detective needed everything that gives a person energy.

             But now that he thinks about it, he didn’t see Shuichi eat anything earlier.

            The bread he had been eating was long digested by his stomach and there was no sign of any other type of food or beverage in the room.

            “Komaeda.” He called for the other’s attention which he immediately got. The luckster wasn’t moving an inch from the chair that Hajime told him to occupy.

            “Yes, my dear?” Nagito replied, in some tone as sweet as new lovers. Hajime ignored the nickname, it wasn’t the corniest thing he was called and not the weirdest thing Nagito had done in a while, and wrote something on a piece of paper. He held it out once he finished writing, putting the cap of the pen back on with a soft click.

            “Can you get me something from the cafeteria. I’m a bit…” Hajime didn’t even get to finish his sentence when the other leapt from his chair and grabbed the piece of paper from Hajime. Standing triumphantly while his boss was silently judging his entire being, Nagito looked determined. This was the first order he received! He shouldn’t mess it up!

            “I’m on it Hinata-kun!” Nagito turned and ran full speed in the hall, leaving the door of the infirmary wide open. _At least he was enthusiastic._

            “Was that Komaeda-kun?” Mikan returned, in her hands were a bunch of used bandages as well as the first aid kit she went out with. “Where was he running off to?”

            “Cafeteria. I told him to get me some food. Figured Saihara-kun might get hungry when he wakes up.” Hajime stopped browsing and pinched the gap between his eyes. He had been reading a lot and needed some rest.

            “Oh. That’s good.” Mikan commented, putting down the items she was holding on to a free table then going back to the door to gently close it. She walked past Hajime and peered through the curtains to check up on a sleeping patient. The EKG machine was still the same when it was set up and his IV didn’t need any changing _. It was a relief those two didn’t manage to burn down this infirmary._

            Her relief didn’t last long. She remembered something quite important.

            “Hinata-kun…”

            “Yeah? What is it Tsumiki?” Hajime asked as he organized what he has read and what he hasn’t.  There were only four or five documents he hadn’t read. He should get it done before Nagito returns with his food.

            “Does Komaeda-kun know where the cafeteria is?”

…

            Hajime’s silence told Mikan everything she needed to know. Nagito just got himself lost, didn’t he?

 

* * *

 

            “Where am I?” Nagito asked no one in particular. He wasn’t stressed out as one might be when they got lost but he sure was confused.  

            He didn’t see anything here before, in fact this area was entirely new. He didn’t pass by the front yard, nor the gates nor the main doors which they used to enter the building where the infirmary was. He might have turned at some point in time and ran pass a few students practicing which led him to the outside part of the main building. Nagito just let out a sigh and continued walking forward. Getting lost was normal for the Ultimate Luckster. This wasn’t surprising anymore.

Right now, he was completely alone surrounded by three buildings he saw for the first time.

            If there was anyone here, even a student, he could ask for directions. Unfortunately for him, there was no person in sight. It was seriously unlucky to have no one around at this time. He checked his watch and saw it was only a little past 4 o’clock. None of the classes were finished. How Nagito wished there was some truant student around.

 

            There were several walls separating the sections which is why it was hard to decide which way he came in and which way was the right way. He couldn’t see what was beyond each wall. Each had doors or gateways standing at different sizes and he could just let his luck decide which door was the right pick. The only problem was he was quite far from each one.

            The section of the school he was in had three buildings and none of them looked like the main one. The largest one was painted blue, surrounded by what he concluded was a small maze for decoration purposes. Judging from the signboard just before the entrance, it was a building with a lot of different ultimate labs – the ultimate talents were written on it but Nagito didn’t dwell too much on it. It was quite an architecture, to be able to hold multiple labs.  

            The next building was the smallest of the three but still had its own potential. It looked more like an observatory and maybe it really was. There was a small sign beside it; it read: “ _Ultimate Astronomer and Ultimate Astronaut Lab”_

Well, he won’t need to wonder which ultimates owned this lab.

            The last infrastructure was the second largest building and it did not look like a lab. It was a green house, made up with glass mostly, you couldn’t mistake it for anything else. The school already had various trees and plants about in the courtyard as well as the pathways. Too much nature in fact. Neo Hope looked like it was a nature preserve with how much trees and green was available at each turn. _Maybe that was what those three were going for?_  

            Standing was pointless so Nagito walked towards the greenhouse. It was the closest out of the three and maybe he gets lucky and finds someone in there. “I really need to get back to Hinata-kun and bring the stuff he wanted.”

            The door wasn’t locked so he opened it and cautiously walked in, thinking some animals might have been in here with the plants. That was a ridiculous thought. Neo Hope didn’t need to conserve on space, they had the resources to build a prairie for the animals here. Of course there wasn’t any animal inside.

            The greenhouse was amazing. It had a variety of flora and fauna that it even managed to amaze him.

            “Who’s there? Uh… Komaeda-kun?”

            A familiar voice called out. Nagito knew that voice anywhere he went. Like how he can recognize Hajime in a second, this person was a close second to his auditory recognition.

            It didn’t take long till he came in contact with the owner of the voice. The owner greeting him with a smile. “Komaeda-kun! Long time no see!” He was rushed by a hug from the shorter boy. He hugged back. No matter how old they got, he would always be the shortie _kohai._

            “Long time no see Naegi-san. I mean Headmaster.” He corrected himself. The brunette blushed. “Naegi is fine. You’re an upperclassman after all!”

            “Hahaha, as formal as ever.”

            Their reunion was cut short when another voice called out.  

            “Naegi is that really Komaeda?” Like before it was familiar but unlike Naegi’s he wasn’t quite sure if he knew this person. It sounded familiar but there was some difference that it was a bit hard to pinpoint who it was.

             From the same place Makoto came from poked a head that Komaeda couldn’t mistake for anyone else. _Ahh, I see, this person was here as well._

            “It’s really you..”

            “Long time no see.” Komaeda greeted the other.

 

 

_An old friend and classmate._

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> komaeda loves hajime, that was canon right? hahahaha  
> 0.5 chapters are shorter cuz i am sorry T.T 
> 
> please inform me of any mistakes! thank you!


	8. Jasmines [K1-B0 ~ Kiibo Idabashi]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiibo tells a story to the professor about this enchanting boy he let into his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey you you! thank you for reading this new chapter~  
> this was seriously longer than angie's and i didn't expect her's to get that long either. i need to manage my chapters better.  
> as usual my updates are random, reason being school but the volcano in my hometown suddenly started spewing lava and well, everyone is on red alert so hope it's understandable if i can't write or reply immediately. 
> 
> but since i was gone for so long ~~disregarding the other story i made out of random angst~~ i'll give a bonus, if you want to, you can comment an ultimate you want me to do next ^=^ anyone is okay BUT ouma because i want to be inspired to make his chapter. ~~*screams bias!!!!!*~~
> 
> [updatee~]it's been one week, and kaito won! so i'mma write it now~ woooh kaito!! 
> 
> not yet edited so yeap~ I'll give the _ultimate roulette_ a week before counting votes or just randomly pick someone below if there's a split or equal votes. 
> 
> Anyways please enjoy the beautiful robot child KIIBO!!!!!
> 
> there are probably a lot of inconsistencies here so i'll apologize right now~ hhahahaha

 

_**“AndthenthedoctortoldusaboutthetimelimitandweseparatedwaysandnowI’mnotquitesurewhat todoandIthinkI’moverheatinghelpmeplease…”** _

            Kiibo chattered endlessly to his father, or more prominently known as Professor Idabashi, via a video call from his dorm room, spilling everything he had experienced in the day to the man. He normally does this, updating the professor on his life, it was a routine after all, but it normally happens after dinner since most of the bustle of day were over and done with already.

            Today however was a bit special. It was the most eventful day Kiibo ever experienced in his life aside from the first time his father introduced him to the world. He remembers the presscon for his first appearance to the public was chaotic and quite busy. Kiibo talked to about a hundred people before the inventor noticed his distress and made an excuse of needing to charge the boy to let him escape the clutches of the media and other overly interested groups.

It was definitely stressful but it couldn’t compare to what happened today.

            The information overload he had the past hour was too much for him to just sit and take in. He needed to blab about it to someone.

            Kiibo knew he couldn’t finish the day without getting some of it off his chest. He wanted to talk about it. No. _He needed to._ To let it out to someone who was willing to listen. Unfortunately, he couldn’t ask his classmates for their time. They were as conflicted with it as him and he doesn’t know if talking about it to someone was going to be okay.

            When Kiibo arrived at his room, he locked the door, grabbed his connectors from the bed and plugged it into the television in the room, the other end to a port on his shoulder. Kiibo pressed the call button and after three rings, someone picked up. He didn’t even wait for the professor to greet him back before telling the story of the class of 53’s crisis at hand. Kiibo ignored the way the professor was looking at him when he started talking but appreciated the fact that he was just listening, waiting for him to finish every word and looking interested in what he had to say.

Just by remembering the events made him think he might be experiencing another circuit break.

            “Kiibo, slow down…” The professor tried calming him after his little spiel, lifting his hands a bit to tell his creation to take a step back.  “I’m not _that_ old but I have no idea what you’re saying.” Despite the scolding manner of his words, the man was amused. He had never had his “son” experience something quite like this and the experience might be worthwhile. In his opinion, it was even worth taking notes of.

            Contrary to popular belief, Professor Idabashi wasn’t some 50-year-old has been inventor/scientist on the brink of loneliness. In fact, Idabashi or Takeru Idabashi was a man in his early 30’s and was fairly certain had much more going for him than dying lonely. Kiibo was created out of curiosity – the outcome of years of research in robotic engineering, not for companionship at all but now that he had established a certain connection with him, he will hurt anyone who says that the robot was not his own son. The details of the connection might be unconventional to say the least, but the love he feels towards Kiibo is as real as any family out there.

Really though. Who could resist such a charming robot trying his best to be a good child?

            “I’m sorry Professor.” Kiibo apologized, his antenna drooping slightly with his mood which wasn’t missed by his father through the video feed. Professor. Idabashi regrets giving him this much cuteness.

            He had nothing in particular in mind when he was designing Kiibo. He turned out as something not entirely menacing as one could expect in a sentient and growing AI with how round and puppy like his eyes were. Even his silver color palette gave a feeling of a favorite toy rather than a stone-cold machine. Though, he would be lying if he didn’t take some inspiration from the Headmaster of Neo Hope’s Peak who was just a regular guy who managed to make a name for himself.

Maybe he wanted to recreate that miracle that Makoto Naegi managed to produce.

            “It’s fine Kiibo and didn’t I say to call me “dad”? Just take a deep breath and release it all at once. I installed a cooling system in your body after all.” Kiibo followed his instructions and let himself be immersed in the superb system his father gave him. It worked and he felt better than before.

He mumbled a thank you to his father.

            “So,” the professor started again, settling himself on his desk while looking curiously at Kiibo. “my son got someone he likes?” He asked in a teasing manner that the grin he was holding back could not be contained by the stern look he was displaying. No holding back. From everything the robot said, he understood only one part. It was where his son fancies someone from their class.

            When the professor saw how red his son became, he felt proud. Not just because he was right on the mark that he did have someone to like but he was proud of his son’s continuous growth. He did want the robot to know about basic human emotions, those things were hard to program after all. To see him actually start to like someone without the prodding of him or any other controlled variable, all on his own choice and action, was something that made him happy, not only as a man of science but as a father as well.

            “I…uh…father…it’s..I mean…” Kiibo’s words were lost to him, unable to respond to the totally innocent question his father asked. His skin or whatever the professor used to present as his skin was sporting the shade of red he always had when he was embarrassed or overwhelmed. He may have been slow on the uptake of his growing feelings towards his fellow classmate, but whatever he was feeling right now felt more than just a temporary mistake. Kiibo never felt the emotion before and it clicked to him that he liked the other male more than a friend long before their second semester together.

             Before he constantly attributed the sudden spike of heat in his system when the boy was near as an error. The rapid beating of his artificial heart whenever Shuichi would be nice, even when he was telling him compliments that were too normal to consider as something special were just a bug in his system that he was sure Miu could fix by the end of the day. He believed in the narrative he set for his weird condition when Shuichi was involved and all in all it made sense. After all, robots can’t feel an emotion as complicated as liking someone…

_Was this really the same feeling?_

            Despite his belief that he had indeed developed the ability to like someone, Kiibo started doubting himself again. Doubting if his feelings can even be considered feelings. He wasn’t normal. Normal in a way that he was born inside another human being. No. He was never normal. Some can contend that he was indeed _inside the mind_ of Professor Idabashi, it was as if he was born normally but it just wasn’t the same. He wasn’t the same as them. And maybe, the feeling he had was not like theirs as well.

“Kiibo?” His attention was brought back to reality with the worried tone of his father.

            Kiibo was in turmoil again, Professor Idabashi thought when he saw the boy was not responding to any of his calls. His eyes always went into static when he was in deep thought and most of the time it concerned his existence. He may have unconsciously developed that habit but the doctor was thankful for it. Kiibo, as obedient as he was, does keep to himself most of the time if he doesn’t ask. That quip helped him a lot with how to decipher his son’s thinking.

“Are you contemplating on how you’re different from everybody else again?”

            The question was followed by silence. _Professor Idabashi was right._ It was all he needed to confirm his question. Kiibo was intelligent, but maybe that intelligence was more of a liability in these kinds of cases.

            “Why…” It wasn’t a question per se, it was more of an order coming from a father to his son. He wanted Kiibo to tell him what he was thinking. Kiibo had times when Professor Idabashi would use that same tone on him whenever he did something which was not considered morally acceptable but in those cases, he was young. Not yet fully grown to the teen he was now.

He understood that he needed to share this with his father.

Gathering his thoughts and hoping he could convey it to his best capacity, Kiibo started explaining to his father.

            “I’m just not sure if this is really the same as…liking someone by another human.” His voice was low, too low that if the doctor didn’t know any better he wouldn’t have caught on to the hesitant words coming out of the others mouth. Thank goodness, the microphone got it at the very least.

            “I’m reluctant to say if I really am capable of feeling such things. I deny it myself but I am still an AI. An overly advance AI that isn’t human and just _cosplays_ as one. Am I sure that I’m just not being overly confident that I have developed that human emotion? Aren’t I just deluding myself that I understand it.” His voice was steadily growing louder and his eyes were hazy. If Miu had finished installing that crying function on him, he was sure he would be crying right now, tears streaming down his face like how the others were when they were sad.

But no. He did not cry. He couldn’t no matter how much he wanted to.

            “The movies that I have seen concerning this feeling seemed so different from mine. I feel happy when I’m with him but isn’t that normal? Isn’t happiness just some default program I’m in. Sometimes I get slightly angry at him that it feels too weird. Am I understanding like differently from everyone? It’s just different from all those love stories I have read that I’m scared that I might be wrong. I’m scared of knowing that as much as I want to be human, I can never really be one if I can’t understand such a basic concept essential to humanity.”  

            At that point, Kiibo was quivering, his hands visibly shaking from overthinking things and all the scenarios he played in his head were just adding fuel. Was it really impossible for him to become human?

No. There’s no doubt, it was impossible. A robot turning into a real boy? How laughable.

            “K1-B0.”

            Kiibo looked up, he didn’t even notice he had hung his head that low and was met with the serious face of Professor Idabashi. “Yes Professor?” Being called his number designation by his father was quite the rare occurrence. Since he turned eight years old by human years, he was always called Kiibo by the doctor and in return he called him father.

With that change, he knew just how serious the doctor was with his next words.

Professor Idabashi was not mad, his features were still as calm as ever. He looked straight into Kiibo’s eyes and told him;

            “I know you are conflicted about your identity. It’s hard because you put being regarded as a human at a really high pedestal. Your goal is in fact to reproduce humanity at the best possible copy, but don’t let that get in the way of how you feel. To me, you are not human, but you are also not just a robot. You are my child and I will always treat you as my son. A fact that no one can counter and if they do, they’ll be answering to me.”

            He had never heard his father preach to him before. It was a new experience because Professor Idabashi was more on the hands-off approach and observational parenting rather than spoon-feeding. He was a scientist after all. But in that moment, Kiibo felt an abundance of love that is hardly mentioned but always felt.

            “You are K1-B0, my invention, but you are also Kiibo, my only son. You don’t have to choose one over the other. Being a robot or being a person, you should not let the standard of the world affect your feelings. You are your own.”

            Kiibo nodded, his heart calmer than ever before. His father’s pep talk helped him greatly. _He was his own._ He repeated it about ten times. Cliché to a fault but it was all he needed to continue believing that he had grown. That he was capable of something akin to love. That he was much more …

“It’s fine to be selfish once in a while.” Professor Idabashi finished with a small smile, containing all the affection he could ever muster.

            “Thank you, Father. I feel better.” He replied.

            Kiibo wasn’t lying. His system stopped overheating and it was running as smoothly as ever. He felt like he just got cleaned and it felt nice. His father did his best to squash his worries away, something Kiibo likes to believe a normal parent does to their children. Kiibo always wondered how other parents treated their children. Curiosity of an AI so to speak because the professor was never the doting parent type.

             Professor Idabashi was just okay in the parenthood department. Not too clingy but definitely not distant. To Kiibo, however, the doctor would always be the greatest parent. No matter how inadequate he was in showing affection at times or how other people would talk behind his back on how he was a workaholic and a psycho for creating something like him. If given a choice, he would still choose the professor. Professor Idabashi was the only parent he wanted.

Kiibo smiled, letting the other know his appreciation for the talk and the doctor returned it.

            The crisis of Kiibo going into the deep end but Professor Idabashi wasn’t satisfied yet from their talk. He still had something he wanted to know from Kiibo. “So…Mind telling your dad about this person who managed to steal your heart.”

            “Huh? My heart wasn’t stolen Father. It’s still here.” Kiibo opened his chest compartment to show a glass case separating his artificial heart from the rest of his body. It was there, beating to a rhythm that was steady and familiar. If it was gone Kiibo would not have had the chance to strike up a conversation or even be functioning this well. Why did the doctor think his heart was stolen? “There are no criminals in Neo Hope’s Peak, troublemakers yes, but no criminals who would want to steal it. It is safe here!” Kiibo puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips to show he was confident on the safety of his heart.

            The professor chuckled, which just added to Kiibo’s confusion. Did he say anything funny? “It’s an expression Kiibo. It doesn’t mean that your heart was stolen from your body.” _Oh._ It wasn’t literal.

 Kiibo felt the need to brush up on his knowledge of expressions.

            After having a good time chuckling at his son’s innocence, he decided to explain what he wanted to hear. “A person who manages to steal your heart means you feel infatuation and to a deeper extent love for that person. In simpler terms, that person is the one you like.”

            The robot nodded knowingly, filling in the blanks in his head and committing the expression to his memory. He muttered an _I see_ and waited for the next thing his father would say.

            “Okay. It’s good you understand. Now please answer my question. Can you tell me about this person you like?”

Kiibo may have understood but he was not ready to answer.

            “I’m not sure where to start in telling you father…” Kiibo really didn’t know where to start. He just came into terms of his own feelings. Explaining why he fell in love with the person was out of reach for his hands at the moment.

            He wanted to tell his father about the wonderful person known as Shuichi Saihara. Everybody needs to know how wonderful Shuichi was. Shuichi was the best thing that happened to the world along with kimonos and cherry blossoms! He was so wonderful that words fell flat and everything that made him that way had become hard to utter. _What was the best way to showcase how great Shuichi was?_

A few minutes passed and he still hadn’t spoken a word to the professor, still raking up possible scenarios in his mind on how he would start. No matter how many times he tried to create a conversation in his head, he was lost on where to start. This was way harder than it should have been.

            “Okay how about I ask a question about that person and you answer it?” Professor Idabashi offered.

 _Was it something like an interview?_ He could work with that.

            “I understand father. Go ahead.”

            The professor got into a more comfortable position, adjusting the camera in his lab to a better angle. He started.

            “Is it a boy or a girl?” An understandable first question that Kiibo should have been more shocked if he decided on another one. Kiibo took note of the fact that his father didn’t immediately jump to the conclusion that he was attracted to females.  

            “A boy.” He answered, half-expecting his father to react violently at his confession of Shuichi’s gender. It could have been a test from his father to trap and scold him. He knows same sex relationships were frowned upon though if he were to think of it, he technically doesn’t have a gender. He just identifies himself as male since that was how his father calls him. In fact, he was not conventional in the first place so he shouldn’t let the standards of the world dictate him too much. Still, Kiibo wanted approval.

            “Oh? Is he handsome?” Professor Idabashi wasn’t disgusted with him so it was good, or if he was, he was just really good at hiding it in his face. He looked quite pleased actually and it puzzled the robot. Regardless of the professor’s open-mindedness, Kiibo continued answering.

            “Ah yes, he is quite handsome. He is close to what others say is perfection. He is really pretty as well.” He was smiling, imagining the face of the detective but stopped when he replayed his words in his mind. Kiibo didn’t know why he decided to add pretty into the mix. Just by saying handsome would have sufficed. Saying pretty might have been confusing. He just couldn’t help adding pretty. Shuichi was quite attractive but he felt the need to tell him how attractive he was. The word handsome just wouldn’t cut it anymore.  

            “Ohh. A pretty boy, that’s your type huh?” the doctor grinned. “Do you have a picture? I want to see him.”

            “I do have one.” Excusing himself for the moment he stood, careful not to tug too much on the wires connected to his arm. He turned to look at the lone photo he had framed on his nightstand. The picture he always looked at during the night before going to bed and be greeted with in the morning. Shuichi, as well as himself, were in the picture smiling side by side without looking at the camera. A candid picture with smiles that were too genuine to recreate.

            Nothing much was going on, just a stolen picture that he got when Kaede brought back the pictures from one of their class activities. The moment he saw it from the pile of memories on the teacher’s table he knew this was one of those things he would treasure. He took it and showed it to the professor.

            “Here he is father, the boy with the black hair.” He explained, knowing the professor would understand even if he didn’t say that detail. There was no one else inside the picture, or no one else worth focusing on aside from him and the boy.

            “Woah, he really is attractive!” The professor exclaimed, letting out a soft whistle. Kiibo never heard that from him before. Who knew his father knew how to whistle?

            “I approve of your taste my boy. He is definitely blessed in the looks department.” Kiibo blushed while holding up the frame for his father to let him see better and to hide his blushing face. He was happy that his father approved of who he had chosen. Kiibo didn’t know what to do if by any chance, his father actually frowned and disapprove of his choice.

Would he push through with liking the boy or respect his father’s wishes?

Him approving was the best outcome Kiibo could have hoped for.

Nonsense. Shuichi will always be attractive no matter who sees him, that’s what he liked to believe at least.

            “He is even taller than you.” The professor pointed out, pleasantly surprised by the person his son chose. He didn’t know if he programmed something in Kiibo to have a preference for people like the boy he was shown – the sheltered royalty types or the meek quiet ones, he never really remembered anything like that. Maybe he did, during one of those coffee-powered nights working in his lab because if it was, he might need to remember other stuff he put into Kiibo. _Maybe_ an apology was needed somewhere along the line.

 _Still,_ this boy was really something. Kiibo wasn’t joking when he said he was handsome _and_ pretty.

           

            Kiibo always noticed that Shuichi was taller than him. Okay maybe not always. His presence did not demand attention, he didn’t even know he was a classmate until later in their semester but he did notice. He just let it gradually develop.

With each passing moment they spent with each other he noticed things he never knew before and probably never would if he didn’t develop his crush.

How Shuichi would slouch when talking to someone, even with his friends to not seem intimidating.

How he would organize his books inside his bag via color before leaving the room.

How his eyes crinkle when he thinks he said the wrong thing to someone and offended them.

How that little stray hair on his head would sometimes react with him especially when he was happy.

            From the overt things to those that were obscure, Kiibo took note of everything concerning Shuichi. Those details of the noirette filled him up and they were what he thought of just before going to sleep and from the moment he wakes up. Shuichi was what took up most of his mind and Kiibo was fine with that.

            “Now that I have a face, I need a name to him and more details? Mind telling me more?”

 Of course, Kiibo didn’t mind it.

* * *

 

            It was 3 months into their first semester and Kiibo had adjusted well into his class. All of them were pleasant in their own ways, while he did have some people he wanted to stay at least a pole away from, he concluded that it was an alright class overall. They were all peculiar and quirky and most of all they accepted him despite being artificially made or just avoided asking questions altogether.

            At the start they were wary of the boy, curious even to see a robot be made to attend a school, much more a school as grand as Neo Hope’s Peak Academy. Entering the academy wasn’t his idea though. It was more of his father or the academy in general, when a scout from said school visited their house.

The scout in fact looked nothing like a scout for Neo Hope.

            One he was more than 6 ft. tall and had muscles that looked like took most of your life away before developing them. His fur coat and menacing glare did not help his case. Two, he had a permanent glare that was more akin to a yakuza than to a harmless school personnel. Three, he had a scowl that makes children cry. He looked dangerous so he went into battle mode. Who could blame him though? Kiibo saw a suspicious man hovering near his father by their door and threat levels were high. He took aim with his prototype gun, determined to get rid off the potential threat before he deals any damage. Luckily, his father got in between of his line of fire and the scout before actually making use of the gun.

             When the misunderstandings cleared up, and the paper works were handled, he went with his scout named Juuzo to move into the dorms of his new school. For his last name Kiibo wasn’t sure, he didn’t mention it to them, or if he did it was just to his father. Kiibo knew, at that time, his surname was not recorded into his memory.

            They got into the black Juuzo’s black Humvee and set off to Neo Hope’s Peak Academy.

He wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

            Juuzo did his best to make Kiibo feel at ease with his weird sense of humor and he tried, repeat tried, to seem friendlier than he looked. He even gave him a few pointers in surviving high school which Kiibo greatly appreciated. They spent their time chatting, Kiibo getting more helpful tips from the former Ultimate Boxer till they arrived just outside of the gates of Neo Hope’s Peak. He didn’t imagine getting amazed by the school just from seeing it outside.

It was as grand as the rumors.

            “This is as far as I’ll escort you kid. From the gates onwards, you’re Makoto’s problem.” He said, trying to put back his strong man front, though, it didn’t work anymore. He got out first and opened the door for Kiibo. From the corner of his eye, he actually looked like he was a tad sad to see the boy go. Kiibo saw him in a better light during their trip to the school and he likes to believe he was softer than he ever showed.

            “Sakakura-senpai, thank you.” A woman who had lavender colored hair greeted them at the gates. She wore a black suit and a pencil skirt of the same color her stance quite professional. Her eyes were the same color as her hair, albeit a bit darker and she looked very prim and proper overall. She was quite tall for a woman, nearing the heights of those models he sees on the magazines by the convenience store near his house.

            Juuzo gave her a grunt in response. “Save it Kyoko. You’re my boss now, no need for that.”

            The woman giggled, bringing her left hand to her mouth, “I suppose you are right about that senpai. But still, calling you anything other than that is a little weird so let’s settle on this for now.”

            Juuzo sighed. “You’re as impossible as that fiancé of yours.” He shook his head, remembering something Kiibo knew nothing about. Interesting. These two were acquaintances before Neo Hope? Kiibo didn’t know how useful that information was but he still saved it into his memory.

            He thought he was forgotten by the two adults until Juuzo turned to him and placed his hand onto Kiibo’s shoulder. The woman also gave him her attention. “Ahh, is this Professor Idabashi’s son?” she asked, looking at Kiibo quizzically, giving him a once over like some sort of inspector. It made Kiibo a bit conscious.

            “Yup, in the flesh.  Introduce yourself kid.” Juuzo urged Kiibo with a friendly, yet strong, pat on the shoulder that Kiibo thought would dislocate his part. Juuzo was really strong. He didn’t let the years take a toll on his physique.  

            “My name is K1-B0, but my father likes to call me Kiibo, I prefer it personally as well. I’m pleased to meet you.” He held out his hand for a handshake, that was what he was told to do, and waited to be received by the woman.

            “I as well.” She took his hand into hers, shaking it with a soft intensity. “My name is Kyoko Kirigiri.” Kiibo heard Juuzo mutter _not for long_ before the other shot a sharp glare towards his direction making him back away. “I’m the assistant headmaster here at Neo Hope’s Peak. Thank you for agreeing to check out the school. Hope after seeing the school you’ll decide to- ”

            “Nah, no need for that Kyoko.” Juuzo interjected, scratching the back of his head like it was a pain to say the next few words. “This kid’s dad already agreed that Kiibo here is gonna attend Neo Hope. All the documents have been properly made and most of his stuff will be brought tomorrow.”

            The woman, the assistant headmaster he supposes, just looked sternly at nothing. Thinking for a few minutes before nodding in the end. “I can go with that. A serious breach of the normal steps but we can’t do anything about it. Might as well change my plans today.”

            Juuzo gave Kiibo the thumbs up before entering his vehicle and waving goodbye to the two, off to finish another assignment given by the school. Now, Kiibo was alone with Kyoko and he wasn’t sure whether to initiate the conversation or wait for the other.

            “I was going to advertise the greatness of Neo Hope to you today Idabashi-kun since I thought you needed to be convinced first but since Juuzo seemed to settle all of that on his own, I’ll take you on a tour of the school instead.”

            He followed Kyoko into the grounds of Neo Hope, carefully assessing everything around. She showed him where the main building was, the infirmary, the canteen, dining hall, what they called ultimate labs and many more. Of course, there was no way he was able to explore the grounds with the assistant headmaster for too long, she was a busy woman, something Kiibo completely understood.

            “Now here’s your dormitory.” Kyoko pointed to the large circular building a bit of a walk away from the main school area as well as the main school gates. The school was bigger than expected, Kiibo calculated that it was almost half a city.

             They entered the building and it was quite spacious even for just the lounge. There was also a sense of luxury about with the interior, a western modern feel he supposes. Kiibo still prefers Japanese style rooms. “Each class has their own dormitory and their dorm mates are of course their classmates as well. Idabashi-kun you are part of the 53rd class as the Ultimate Robot. Look for the door with your name on it and that’s your room.” Kyoko smiled at him and bid farewell when she was sure he got what she said.

            The dorm was big by any standard, especially considering it was only for 16 students. Boys on the right while girls on the left, there wasn’t much divide between the two. The lounge had their own share of seats, and there was a small stand that contained magazines and newspapers. By the looks of it, it was updated daily.

            Kiibo looked for his room, checking to see the nameplate on the door. He noticed that not every room had a name on them, some were still blank. Out of the 16 doors, five had no such names. Three for the girls and two for the boys.

            While he was looking around for the door with his name, he tried to remember some of the names he encountered. They were going to become his classmates anyway, so why shouldn’t he.

His room was on the second floor, near the stairs beside another room which still had no name on it. He entered the room and it was equipped with the essentials like a bed and desks for studying. There was a personal bathroom, a walk in closet and a few drawers and empty shelves. A small note was stuck onto the lamp by his bed.

            _Welcome to Neo Hope’s Peak Academy! You are free to redecorate. If needing assistance, financial, labor or others of the same kind, please get the attention of the student relations committee. Please enjoy your stay and we will work together in developing your talents!_

            He didn’t stay long in inspecting his room before deciding to go outside. Scouting the place on his own free time was the best way in getting to know the school better.

            Kiibo was heading down the stairs when the doors of the dorm opened revealing a man wearing glasses who presented himself with so much dignity you would think he was some kind of royalty. He was wearing the same black clothes as the assistant manager and if Kiibo was correct was taller than her. Maybe he was another personnel of the school? That made sense.

            Kiibo took a quick bow to acknowledge the older man, the latter nodding only slightly to acknowledge his presence before looking back, urging someone to hurry up. He passed them by, not sparing another look. Kiibo was in too much of a hurry to notice who was behind the man. There was a high chance it was another classmate.

All he remembered before getting out was stripes and a star.

* * *

 

            “Okay class, remember what we’re going to do today?” their teacher had started talking way before he could even sit down. Kiibo noted how their teachers were far from the normal ones he saw from the t.v. shows his father had him binge-watch on their days off. This teacher in particular only wore sweats to class and a jacket to match it. He might have never been late but he was far from passionate.

            “No~ You never told us anything teach.” Kokichi was the one who answered, clearly getting a kick out of the confused expression their teacher held. The way he snickered when he ended his sentence always annoyed the people who were directed of it. Kiibo was almost always at the receiving end.

            _But_ he was right, no one told them anything yesterday and this was their first class of the day. For once, Kokichi was being truthful, no matter how sarcastic he sounded.

            “Really? Did I say nothing at all Akamatsu?” The teacher turned to the straight A student Kiibo recalled was Kaede. All of their teachers adored the blonde girl that they believe her in a heartbeat. It must have been a perk of not being a troublemaker as well as a good student overall.

            “Yes sir. We were not informed of any activity.” She replied, making the supreme leader snicker again. No one trusted the liar but for sure people trusted her.

            “Really? I must have forgotten then.” Their teacher lazily brushed it off, clearly not caring if he was in the wrong. Why were the teachers here not that invested?

            It wasn’t that all the teachers here were apathetic, most were actually pretty hyped when it comes to teaching ultimates. They were energetic to the point it was exhausting. Neo Hope’s teachers would either be overly enthusiastic or didn’t give a damn. Why must they be at either of the opposite ends?

            “Anyways, let’s say we all knew about this beforehand. The Assistant Headmaster will have all of our heads on a pike if it gets to her that you weren’t informed so keep it in the low guys.” Their teacher warned them, something akin to fear passed through his eyes before settling back to the lazy setting they had grown accustomed to. As much as he didn’t want to agree with his teacher, it was still lying and not a great habit, he nodded his head with the rest of the class.

Kyouko Kirigiri was someone to be feared.

            Kiibo didn’t want to think about what the assistant would do to them if she knew they were slacking off even if it was not their fault to begin with.

            “Today we were supposed to form groups of two and run around the school looking for stuff. It’s the scavenger hunt every new class participates in. Call it a tradition of the school to strengthen your bonds.”

            Ahh, a scavenger hunt, Kiibo knew how to play that! His father made him learn about that game a while back.

Neo Hope, as high prestige it gets, still has quite childish ideas from time to time, Kiibo thought.

            “To keep things fair, groups are gonna be decided by lottery. We’re an even number so everybody should get a partner. No exchanging of numbers!” He pulled out a box from under the desk and took out a piece of paper, seemingly writing numbers on the paper. Everyone just looked on, not entirely giving attention to their teacher, chatting it up till they were called again.

            Kiibo, on the other hand, was excited. He only read about the game and never participated in one – _Professor Idabashi didn’t have the time to indulge him with a game like this –_ so this was a first. Kiibo went through the rules of the game in his head, determined not to embarrass himself with his lack of experience of the game. He waited patiently as his teacher began to roll up the pieces of paper and throw them in the box, recounting them if it were the same number.

Seeing that nothing was out of place, he called out the class again.

            “Now, all of you draw a number from the box. Whoever has the same number as you is gonna become your partner. Get to it so we can start.”

            One by one, in a single file, the ultimates stood up from their desks and drew numbers from the box. Kiibo went after Kirumi, his eyes visibly showing his excitement from the prospect of participating in such a game. His classmates did not display the same enthusiasm as him but Kiibo didn’t really care. If he feels that this game was exciting then it was.

            He thrusted his arm into the box, drawing the piece of paper that will determine who he was going to be partnered with. Kiibo had no one in mind that he wanted to pair up with but he did have some people he would gladly avoid as long as it was possible.

            First and foremost, would be Kokichi. Kiibo did not have much of a soft spot for the ultimate supreme leader. He endlessly teases him and brings on his robophobia when they were conversing that it was irritating considering they were on the same floor and neighbors in the dorms. For once, Kiibo wanted to _not_ be grouped with Kokichi.

            Second was Maki. He didn’t have a lot of data on the girl but she was too intimidating to let himself even bother. She had the eyes of a predator that it took everything Kiibo had in him to maintain his composure. Maki was also a quiet type who mostly hanged out with a select few so the limited interactions contributed to his inadequate data.

            Lastly, though he had nothing entirely against the person, was Himiko. Kiibo thinks it was ridiculous why he didn’t favor Himiko, she seemed nice enough. He finds it even more ridiculous that he had a bit of iffy relations with the small magician but he never entirely figured out why she felt weird to him.

            He left the line, letting Kaito have a turn at the drawing box and opened the piece of paper he got when he got back to his seat.

            “Ooooooh. A seven!”

            Kiibo didn’t notice Kokichi peering at his paper, his eyes filled with mischief. Instinctively he pulled back his arm, hiding the paper in the safety of his palms, out of the reach of the supreme leader. Kokichi pouted.

            “Huh? You’re quite stingy aren’t you Keeboy. Not that it matters, seven is an unlucky number anyway.” Kokichi put his arm behind his head and began laughing. Kiibo knows he shouldn’t be baited but he asked anyway.

            “Why is that? As far as I know seven was lucky.”

            “Ahh, are you sure you don’t know Keeboy? Well, let my benevolent self-explain it. We’re only sixteen here in this class and your number is seven. Naturally, you are one of those people that are in the wayyyyy back of the class since you got the second to the last number and those are the type to be forgotten and disregarded and that’s why they were unlucky.”

            Kiibo didn’t follow Kokichi’s logic. Why would he be at the back? This didn’t really mean anything since it just determines who their partner was. Judging by the way Kokichi was laughing, Kiibo knew that he was just messing with him and that he should have expected nothing less. He heard about some things like numbers and colors determining one’s luck but it really had no basis to be believable.

            “Why are you so smug Ouma-san? What number did you get?” Kiibo asked, genuinely curious on what number he had. He wanted to check if he was going to be partnered up with this ultimate and if he was, then might as well condition himself right now.

            “It’s 1! A perfect number for me! See, no one is above me cause even if they were above, they would still be a zero.” Kokichi looked so proud of the paper he managed to draw. He really was still a child.

            “What? Are you jealous? Does that make you want to switch numbers with me? I’ll be okay with switching.” He chided the robot, swaying side to side, most likely copying one of their classmate. It would have been cute but since it was coming from Kokichi, it only added an irritating effect. Kiibo was still not used to this boy even after 3 months of being with him. He was too _annoying_ that whatever countermeasure Kiibo implanted in his memory against Kokichi would become useless when in front of the menace.

            Kiibo decided to remain silent. Letting the boy tire himself out and proclaim it was boring to stop his nonsense.

            “Nahh, that was a lie. I won’t switch numbers with you. I bet you’re partnered up with another loser so bye then!” Kokichi didn’t let Kiibo say another word before latching onto Rantarou, showing off his number.

            Kiibo felt drained from their exchange. Why was speaking to him so tiring?

            “Ahh, Kiibo-kun. Are you seven as well?” Someone tapped him on his shoulder. It was Shuichi, the detective boy in their class. He wasn’t looking at Kiibo particularly but without his hat, he couldn’t exactly hide his uncertainty. _Why didn’t he wear his hat today?_  

            “Oh, Saihara-kun, are you my partner?” Kiibo asked, happy to see at least it was someone he could get along with. A clean slate was better than a damaged one.

            “Yeah. Haha, I kind of heard some of your exchange with Ouma-kun. I’m sorry if you’re partnered up with a loser like me.” Shuichi laughed, but it was not really filled with amusement. More on apologetic and weak that Kiibo was bewildered.

            “Oh no. Not at all Saihara-kun, you’re not a loser. I mean, don’t let what Ouma-san said get to you. He’s a bit special you see.” He didn’t know why he apologized. It wasn’t like he was directly responsible for making Shuichi feel bad, but when he saw the hint of sadness in the eyes of the other, apologizing was the only thing he could think of.

            “It’s okay Kiibo-kun. I noticed that as well from Ouma-kun. He says mean things but he means no harm … Ah … well most of the time I mean.” Shuichi gives out a small laugh and it calms Kiibo. He doesn’t want any of his classmates feel sadness. Maybe it was just how he was programmed but he liked doing it regardless of his program.

            “Everybody got a partner now?” Their teacher took a look around and saw everyone beside someone else. Kiibo looked at Shuichi and the raven-haired boy smiled back. He gets the feeling that he might genuinely enjoy the game now.

            “Now, one of the pairs get up here in front and get your assignments. You have 2 hours to get as many as you can from the list you have. Don’t lose that list because I’m going to re-check if you got all the items listed.”

            “Saihara-kun, do you want to pick one for us?” Kiibo asked. His inner self wanted badly to draw it himself, he wanted to experience it but he would be okay in giving the privilege to Shuichi. Kiibo doesn’t want to judge on appearance, he tries hard not to, but Shuichi just had that look that made you want to put him first above everyone else. _Something like taking care of a pet._

            Shuichi gave him a quick glance before declining the offer. “I’m okay Kiibo-kun. I think you might be better at drawing lots than me.” Shuichi slightly nudged him forward, careful not to be forceful. Kiibo made sure he was really okay with it before getting the piece of paper.

            “Now, your 1 hour starts now.”

* * *

 

            The class dispersed, all trying to one up the other group by collecting things first. When they opened the paper containing the list of what they need to find. They were tasked to find 10 items. Each list had 8 common items that they needed to collect and the last 2 items were called “ultimate trinkets”. They were items that each of their classmates had on daily or at least be reminded of.

The 8 common items were as follows;

  * 2 Paper clips
  * 3 Yellow flowers
  * 2 Pebbles
  * 1 Neo Hope Pin
  * 1 Special Bread
  * 1 Can of Orange Juice
  * 1 Neopad
  * 2 Keys



They looked easy enough to find. Kiibo felt that they got this in the bag. Carefully folding the list, he puts it into his pocket and turns to his partner, noticing they were the only ones left inside the classroom. Everyone got a head start from them and Kiibo was disappointed that Shuichi had been quiet about it. If he spoke up maybe Kiibo could have gotten the urgency. _Now there was no chance we could win._

No. That wasn’t right. This game wasn’t for competing. It was for deepening their bonds. If Shuichi wanted to take it slow then they should. Kiibo won’t pressure Shuichi into something he doesn’t want. If he wasn’t wrong in his analysis of the boy, Shuichi would like to take it slow and enjoy the search rather than the goal.

                “Saihara-kun where do you want to look first?” He asked, eager to get a start at this fun game. He was already having such a fun time from just the drawing phase, what more when they get to playing the game!

                “Ahh, I’m fine with anywhere you want. I’ll follow you Kiibo-kun.” Shuichi returned the question making the robot feel lost. His voice didn’t have anything laced in it except honesty.

                Kiibo didn’t have much of an opinion on Shuichi. If he were to say it without reservations, Shuichi was the blandest one out of all his classmates. Everyone around him was unique in a memorable way. The others had their quirks and they definitely had dynamic personalities, however, Shuichi was just the wallflower. Not picking up any attention while also blending in the crowd. Kiibo took note of how painfully evident it was whenever he was around Kaede. The professor told him to not let any prejudice hinder his attitude towards others but with Shuichi he was fine treating him more of a child to protect than an equal in the school.

                “I see. Saihara-kun cannot decide for himself. I didn’t know you were that indecisive.”

                It came out a little more assertive than he expected or more condescending, not that he was going to take it back. Shuichi visibly winced when he finished his sentence, his mouth looked like it was stopping itself from becoming a frown.

Kiibo didn’t expect the boy to reply but he did.

                “Yeah, I can’t. He he. Sorry about that Kiibo-kun.” Shuichi said lowly trying to laugh it off, failing to hide the evident hurt in his tone and it irked the robot. He didn’t know Shuichi, at all. For all he knows what he said was true and he really was that useless – harsh but that what Shuichi was implying. Kiibo pushed down the bitter words he wanted to tell Shuichi, to scold him for undermining his value as a person.

He should be thankful he was actually human! No, that’s such a petty thing to think of another person.

 _Maybe Saihara-kun was just not feeling okay that’s why he has been so submissive._ Made sense.

                Not engaging in anymore small talk, the two began to walk to get started on their hunt. The halls felt more cramped, like everything was contributing in suffocating Kiibo. He wanted to enjoy this, he really did but the events earlier lingered on his mind.

Why did he act so mean towards the detective? He never knew he was capable of that but there he was being incredibly rude to the boy who was nothing but pleasant. Kiibo wanted to apologize. The detective deserved that at least. The problem was he didn’t know how to. He also had to think of the scavenger hunt. Kiibo’s mood didn’t completely turn sour. He wanted to play this game at least once.

                “Kiibo-kun?” A soft voice called out. When did Shuichi get in front of him? Instinctively, Kiibo stepped back, hitting the wall with his shoulder. It sent a shock to his body.

                “Ah,”

                “Kiibo-kun?” Shuichi’s eyes widened, reaching out almost instantly to the shoulder. “Be careful.” Shuichi’s eyes held a certain authority as he inspected Kiibo’s right shoulder. Kiibo couldn’t help but whimper when Shuichi strongly grabbed his other arm and pulled Kiibo closer to him, his attention full on the shoulder he hit, not noticing just how close he had gotten to Kiibo. He was lost on how to approach Shuichi’s sudden burst of confidence. Where was the meek boy who couldn’t decide on where to go?

Shuichi wasn’t much of an enigma as Rantarou nor Kokichi but he certainly held his own mysteries when socializing.

                “Good, it didn’t result something serious,” Shuichi’s hand slid down to his side as he breathe a sigh of relief. Shuichi didn’t stop there in surprising the robot. He naturally took Kiibo’s hands in his own and squeezed. “I’m glad you’re fine.” Shuichi let out an innocent smile while Kiibo felt his cheeks warm up at the gesture.

                “Huh? Kiibo-kun, you’re really red.” Shuichi tilted his head, not knowing he was the reason this was happening. Kiibo didn’t respond, only letting his eyes focus on his hands, making him grow a shade redder. Shuichi traced where Kiibo’s eyes were. Almost immediately he noticed his hands and how he was tightly holding onto the robot’s. Shuichi yelped and hurriedly retracted his. He put them before his face, burying himself as he grew redder than the robot. _There was the Shuichi Kiibo knew._

                “I’m…sorry.”

                “Ah it’s fine Saihara-kun…” No it wasn’t. Because of what Shuichi did, he was overheating. He’ll need Miu to fix this later. “Let’s just…look for the items.”

                Kiibo didn’t bother looking behind him, walking as briskly as possible away from the wall and the memories it held with it, knowing Shuichi was not far behind. He wanted to get started the game, and move on, leaving whatever happened behind.

                Yet, he couldn’t forget how warm Shuichi’s hands felt in his.

 

                An hour had passed and the duo only managed to get half of what was on the list. They didn’t have anything to carry it all, so they split it, each carrying at least two items with them. They were on their way to get the Neo Hope’s Pin, proof that they were affiliated with the school, but there were specific rules regarding it. They weren’t allowed to use their own pins, nor can they use their classmate’s. They needed to get it from someone outside the class and they couldn’t cheat their way on this. Each pin had their initials, signature, as well as their birthdays at the back, engraved in all its shiny glory.

Whoever looks at it from behind would know if they used their own or not.

                It was a problem but Shuichi was the one who suggested who they get it from. Apparently, he knew someone who would help them and let their pin be borrowed. They walked in silence, the earlier incident buried in their minds for the time being as they wanted to focus on at least completing this game.

                They were heading to the library. Shuichi promised whoever they were looking for was going to be there. Kiibo decided to put his trust on Shuichi’s words, following him closely as they made small talk. When their conversation went into a peaceful lull, Kiibo studied the list again, happily looking at all the checks he put beside the item they already had.

                He was enjoying this. He really did. It wanted to make him sing in happiness, but that would be a bad move. He was aware of how awful he sounded, especially after he saw the Professor grimace after he had sung to him on his birthday. Professor Idabashi told him it was okay, but it didn’t convince Kiibo. Still, he tried to overcome that hurdle. Singing more would help him get better but it was for when he was alone.

                He settled to just hum. Kiibo hummed a song he heard on the radio yesterday, only knowing the melody and not its lyrics, even bouncing a bit as he remembered how intrigued he was with it. He even began walking to the beat in his head, overtaking Shuichi with how fast he was going. His body reacted and began dancing a bit, clumsily in fact.

                The detective giggled, it sounded so cute, and hurried to follow Kiibo’s beat, not missing a step whenever Kiibo got too enthusiastic and decided to improve some moves, though they were mostly from the robot dance. Shuichi didn’t seem to mind, there wasn’t many people around and he looked happy enough. They weren’t doing something intricate like ballroom or pair dances nor were they popping and locking. Just silly fun with ridiculous movements.

                Shuichi along the way hummed with him, letting himself go a little with his voice. In Shuichi’s mind it was more embarrassing to sing than do their weird dance. It was a classic song from some idol group back in the day. Kiibo remembered how inspired he was to follow in the footsteps of the late Sayaka Maizono when he saw the live coverage of the concert. The song Shuichi hummed was the very song he watched with the professor. He imagined being able to entertain people like her, bringing smiles to their faces by just singing songs. He made it a goal to bring as much smiles as Sayaka Maizono. Kiibo was a fan of hers and her group back in the day, that’s why the news of her death saddened him so much.

He still remembered when both music fans and sports fans mourned on that fateful day. It was an accident that took away two of the most loved celebrities. No one was to blame, it was all chance, but Kiibo wanted to at least see them get married…

                In a while, Shuichi started singing some of the words, words that were incredibly pleasant to the ears when it came from him. It was a nice surprise. Who ever thought that Shuichi had a nice singing voice? Compared to Kiibo, Shuichi actually had some talent within him in the singing department. If Shuichi wanted, he could become an idol. _Now wouldn’t that be something_.

If that happens, Kiibo might have another go at fanboying at a celebrity.

                They were totally enraptured with their small concert that they arrived at the library without noticing. They both hushed themselves, respecting the sign outside that requested silence. Shuichi was the one who peeked in, Kiibo following.

                The library was big and of course, there were other ultimates about. It wasn’t packed but there were limited number of seats for big groups. Kiibo let his eyes wander to each ultimate present, trying to guess who Shuichi was going to ask for the pin. Was it going to be that blond looking delinquent over there? Or that cute girl with the frog pins on her hair? Maybe it was from that one student who was sleeping at the side. Kiibo continued to guess.

                He hadn’t exactly seen the detective interact with people outside their class. He was recluse, having only civil discussion with people outside the 53rd class that whoever Shuichi decides to talk with, he was going to ask how they managed to do it.

                Shuichi seemingly ignored everyone who was seated in front. Okay, not necessarily ignored, he just didn’t give him any attention nor did they receive any from them in return. Shuichi just passed by them, his eyes only looking straightforward. He continued walking, Kiibo not sure where he was going.

                They reached a door hidden from view. Was this some kind of utility closet? Shuichi took hold of the doorknob, knocking on the hardwood before turning. It was another section of the library, closed off from the main part with completely different decor. It had its own set of tables and chairs, approximately two and a large velvet couch in between. It looked like Shuichi’s ultimate lab, only smaller.

                Kiibo was so distracted by the interior that he didn’t notice the detective had met up with someone.

                “…so that’s the story. Can I borrow it please?” Kiibo only heard a fraction of what Shuichi said. He was curious to the face of this person so he entered the room fully, disregarding the weird feeling in his gut.

                “I don’t mind, Shuichi-kun.”

                Ahh, it was a woman. Kiibo felt like he heard the voice before but he couldn’t place where. He took a step forward, to get a view of this person. His gut feeling was screaming at him to turn back and run.

                “But you really are a weird kid. Looking for me out of all the people here to borrow a pin…” the woman let out a smile while Kiibo’s face had turned from interested to terrified.

                “Thank you very much Kirigiri-san! Haha, well, I don’t know a lot of people and I wanted to borrow from someone I was comfortable with.” His voice started off loud then low before finishing the sentence.

                Every fiber or part of Kiibo was telling him to run away and scream his heart out. It was the assistant headmaster!! He should have known this was the person Shuichi would look for. Kyoko was someone Shuichi trusted with his life, it was no secret that he got along with the assistant.

                Still, it unnerved Kiibo. She was nice, he still remembers her from the opening day, but she was also a demon when it came to punishing them and that happened way too frequently to forget the lasting trauma. Kiibo still remembers her stern glare at them, holding a wooden sword and shouting orders from a high ground while they were told to run 100 laps around the track. _It was Miu’s fault for changing all the documentaries with porn in the A/V room. He had no idea why he helped her and Kokichi with it, even dragging poor Gonta into the mess._

                Remembering how fatigued he felt after the run made him shudder. It was surreal to see the so-called _Punisher_ of the Neo Trinity joke with another ultimate of his age, tussling his hair while laughing. This may mean that the end of the world was coming.

                “Ah hello Idabashi-kun.” Kyoko stopped teasing Shuichi and gave Kiibo a greeting when she noticed him by the door. “Are you Shuichi-kun’s partner?”

                He managed a nod. Kiibo wasn’t sure if this version of the assistant headmaster was an illusion or the real thing. It was much more likely the former, in his brain. She was just a little less terrifying.

                Kyoko smiled again, easing Kiibo up but not fully. “I see, well don’t let me keep you guys waiting anymore. You only got less than an hour to complete this.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pouch. Searching inside before settling on to the Neo Hope’s Pin that they needed. “You can give this back to me whenever Shuichi-kun.” She handed it to the young detective boy and patted his head.

                She looked at the detective as he was putting the pin into his pocket, noticing he was carrying a bit too much on one hand. “Wait a minute Shuichi-kun.” She turned her back and walked towards the couch, her heels clacking on the marble floor. Kyoko didn’t stop at the couch, proceeding to its back and reached out to something on the ground. When she came back into view, she had a small knapsack on her, offering it to the detective. “Take this, it would make handling those things easier.” She shoved the bag into the detective’s hands before saying goodbye and ushering them out.

Shuichi didn’t even have the time to reject the bag.  

                Another item off the list, they continued with the hunt, setting the canteen as their next destination eventually running into some of their classmates. He saw Rantarou with Maki, an odd pairing but who could blame them. It was a lottery, all on luck.  

                “Saihara, Kiibo, hey there,” Rantarou called out, disregarding the sudden glare Maki sent his way when he bumped into her a little. The two came closer to them, Maki not showing any sign that she was pleased to meet up with them.

                “Hi Amami-kun.” The duo responded at the same time. “Hello Harukawa-san.” Her expression softened when Shuichi greeted her, glare still there but less intimidating.

                “So, you two were the one’s paired with each other. Hmm, not expected but you two look good together.” Rantarou commented, pointing a finger at both of them. Kiibo took it as a compliment. “Ahh, but I don’t mean it that you guys look great as a couple, I mean as a duo, don’t take it the wrong way okay, just clearing it up.”

                Kiibo thought that the last bit was unnecessary. _Was it his imagination that he felt a bit of jealousy in that sentence?_

“Anyways, how many did you get Shuichi?” Maki interrupted, ignoring Kiibo and Rantarou’s exchange. The assassin was quiet most of the time, so it startles Kiibo to hear her voice. Shuichi shyly opened the bag he had slung to his shoulders and let her see. Rantarou leaned in as well to take a look.

                “Wow you got more than us.” Rantarou was impressed. “We only went to get whatever we came across on. Good job guys.”

                “Thank you.”

                “By the way, it’s a good thing we ran into you.” Maki said, turning her attention to Kiibo. “Can we have your ray gun?” She asked as if she was just asking Kiibo to pass the salt.

                “Huh? What are you going to do with it Harukawa-san?”

                Rantarou was the one who explained. “It’s the ultimate trinket that we need. You know, those special ones that we all got differently of?”

                Ahh, that was right. They were asked 2 other items aside from the common items.

Kiibo frowned.

                He didn’t like the fact that his ultimate trinket was his ray gun. Wasn’t it supposed to be something he had on him always? Why was his ray gun considered an item that describes him? He didn’t bring it to class nor did he walk around the school with it on-hand. This was clearly robophobic.

                “I don’t have it on me unfortunately. I leave it in my lab if you need it.” He offered. Anyone could enter their labs but it was just common courtesy to ask and give permission. “Don’t worry, I don’t have a lock on my door like Angie’s.”

                “Thanks.” Maki thanked Kiibo and was already turning to head towards the lab of the Ultimate Robot. She turned to her partner only to see him chatting it up with Shuichi. Kiibo didn’t even notice Rantarou moved away to talk with the detective when he was just in a conversation with them. How did he do that?

                “You’ll be coming too.” She pinched the ear of the Ultimate Adventurer, making him yelp.

                “Harukawa-chan, that hurts.”

                Kiibo was amused seeing Rantarou get pulled on the ear by Maki, so was Shuichi. They all knew Maki was strong enough to even handle Gonta but it was still funny to see Rantarou, who was taller and bigger than either Kiibo or Shuichi, being handled like that by a girl smaller than the three based on body build.

 They didn’t go far before Shuichi stopped the two.

                “Ah wait,Harukawa-san.” Shuichi called out, hurrying to get in front of the two ultimates. “Amami-kun, can I have your necklace?” He pointed out to the dog tag like necklace hanging from Rantarou. “It’s our special item. Oh, but if you don’t want to it’s…fine…” Shuichi added, his usual demure nature seeping out, casting his eyes down to his fingers which were playing with themselves to distract himself from the sudden attention he got from all three ultimates.

Shuichi was too much of a shy hamster, Kiibo thought.

                Maki released her hold on Rantarou’s ear but the other didn’t really notice. Rantarou’s focus was on the unconfident young man in front of him. He didn’t say anything and just reached for the lock at the back of his neck. Carefully unclasping it, he held it on one hand as the other lifted Shuichi’s head by the chin. Kiibo’s brows furrowed.

                The gesture made Shuichi blink furiously. Suddenly being touched by the green-haired male was something he was not expecting. He wanted to protest in a way but Rantarou let his hand slide from Shuichi’s chin to the nape of his neck, sending a soft shiver to the detective. Rantarou was taking his time, being a little too touchy in Kiibo’s opinion just to give Shuichi their special item. It almost felt like an eternity before Rantarou successfully put the necklace onto Shuichi. _Did Shuichi really need to wear it?_

                “My necklace looks great on you.” He complimented, making Shuichi blush bright red.

                Before Rantarou could pull out another word of praise to the detective, Maki grabbed his ear again. “Okay, stop that. You are embarrassing.” She waved her goodbye with Rantarou in tow and like that they were gone.

Kiibo was silent. He wasn’t sure what to say anymore.

                Why did Rantarou do that? Ah, no, he meant why did he felt the need to do that? It felt so _extra_ to put it on the person asking for it, especially in a manner that made Kiibo extremely uncomfortable. Why all that need for skin contact? What’s more, it had him a bit … _peeved?_ Why though?

                “Hehe, we got an item Kiibo.” He didn’t notice Shuichi was already beside him, wearing that demure smile of his, showing off the necklace he got. Kiibo felt that whatever he had bubbling up in him wash down. Shuichi smiling was all it took for him to forget that uneasiness he felt and continued looking for other items on their list.

                When their time limit expired, they managed to only miss about 2 common items and one special item. Tenko really didn’t want to part with her ribbon.

                Kiyo and Kaito were the ones who managed to finish everything and won the game. Kiibo didn’t mind losing. He was already satisfied with just experiencing the game with Shuichi.

* * *

 

                “Yumeno-san, are you okay?” Kiibo called out, hoping that help came soon. Through his night vision he saw the little magician below, weeping and a bit dirty but no visible injuries. _Thank god she was safe._

                “Kiibo-kun?” She whimpered, the stress getting to her, her nose dripping from crying.

                They were at an excursion the school planned for them 5 months into the semester. They had grown fairly comfortable with each other so spending three days and two nights in a hot spring surrounded by nature seemed like a great idea.

                Unfortunately, not everything was going to be peachy. Himiko felt insulted when none of her classmates believed her _magic_ running away from the hotel in a fit of tears, deep into the night and into the unsettling forest. She was rather fast for someone who was too lazy to do anything and they quickly lost sight of her. They all split up to look for the tiny magician.

                “Yes, it’s me. Hold on, I’m going to get you out of there.” Kiibo was thankful that the clouds moved out of the moon’s way to give additional light. His night vision might have been all he needed but Himiko had no such thing. The light would calm her down. When the tiny magician looked up he gave her a reassuring smile and proceeded to scout his surroundings.

                The ditch was pretty deep and the way up was too steep for Himiko to climb alone. If he hadn’t found her sooner, there was no way Himiko could have escaped this herself. There were also quite sharp rocks poking out of the mounds of dirt. He walked over to the section that was a little high but safe for landing. If he was going to save Himiko, might as well take some risk. Surely, he’s not going to break because a measly fall.

                Kiibo took a few steps back and exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding. There was no turning back now. He ran and just before the end of the ground he jumped, surprising Himiko below. “Yumeno-san, please move out of the way!” Kiibo ushered while in mid-air. Himiko, despite being amazed at how _normal_ Kiibo jumped, actually managed to move a bit from where she was standing to avoid colliding with her classmate.

                Based on calculations, Kiibo should have landed on his feet or at least his knees, this did a lot less damage to him overall. It was going accordingly, that is until a stray crow flew towards him, knocking him off-course a little. It must have been startled awake by their voice and panicked. Kiibo didn’t want to blame the poor animal, but he didn’t want to slam head first into the dirt.

                Deciding on whim, he tried his hardest to at least move to his side. Having partial body movements was better than inducing a head trauma and shutting down. He didn’t have a lot of time. Preparing for impact, Kiibo used every ounce of his strength to move. He turned a little too strong. And instead of just his sides, he positioned himself so that his back was the first one to hit the ground.

                Kiibo bounced a little from the impact. His arms flailing in the air, a loud crack heard in the dead of the night. Damn. Kiibo hoped he didn’t break anything of importance.

                “Kiibo-kun!” Himiko ran towards her classmate, her heart pounded with each step. She saw how ungracefully he landed and could only imagine how that could have killed someone who was not a robot. Kiibo was not getting up. He couldn’t.

                The impact did some damage on his back. He probably shouldn’t have done such a flashy thing such as jumping that high. Not only was a waste of energy, but unnecessary by all means. This is what he gets for showing off.

Kiibo tried to lift his head to at least take a look at Himiko.

                The magician was hunching over him, worried with a few tears in her eyes. Kiibo determined she really did have no wounds. A fact that calmed down his own heart. “I’m fine Yumeno-san. Please stop crying.” Kiibo didn’t know when she started to cry but there she was, letting her tears roll off her eyes.

                “But…but… I heard something crack.”

                “Must have been a rock.” Kiibo assured her. With all his remaining strength and disregarding the coursing pain, he sat up, internally screaming from the agony his back was undergoing. Sitting upright to keep up with the illusion, he offered a hand towards the crying mage. “See, I’m fine.”

                Himiko rushed to hug him, enveloping him in her small arms. She hadn’t had another person to talk to more so touch so she did it on whim. There was little to no strength in the hug but Kiibo felt like he was just punched by Gonta by how strong his body jerked. Good thing Himiko didn’t notice it.

                “Are…are we going to be okay?” Himiko asked through her sobs.

                “Yes. Our classmates are looking for us as we speak. We just have to believe in them.” He patted her head. “Oh, I believe we’ll be saved sooner than expected.”

                In the distance, Kiibo heard footsteps, crushing the leaves with each of their steps. After a short while, voices emerged, one of a boy and the other a girl. It took him some time but he recognized those voices. It seems he wasn’t the only one who felt relief from hearing something familiar.

                “Heyyyy! We’re down here!” Himiko released her hug on Kiibo and stood up, positioning her hands just before her mouth as a makeshift megaphone. “Hey!!” She didn’t stop shouting, afraid that their classmates miss them.

                “Himiko?” the male voice said, footsteps running towards them. Beams of light came into their line of vision causing them to shut their eyes from the sudden intrusion of light. When they saw Shuichi’s stray hair peer through, the two ultimates rejoiced. “There you guys are!” The detective sighed with relief, at the same time, Tenko came into view, looking quite worried herself. She set her flashlight down by a rock and leaned into the edge.

                “Himiko! Are you alright!? Calm down! We’re going to get you out of there!!” Tenko screamed, seemingly forgetting that Kiibo was down there with Himiko as well. Typical Tenko, Kiibo thought but he was sure he won’t be forgotten seeing as Shuichi was already looking at him, his face mirroring Tenko’s care.

                “We can’t get out. There are a lot of sharp objects for us to climb it and there’s no path that’s an easy climb.” Kiibo reported to the two at the top of the ditch. Plus, if they counted the damage his body suffered, then it was clear that he was in no position to climb. However, he didn’t want to inform them of the injury.

Shuichi surveyed the area with his own flashlight, landing it onto the dangerous spiked rocks. It was the the easiest path by far but as previously stated, the spikes were dangerous.

                “I see.” Shuichi muttered, in deep thought. Tenko was having a mental breakdown and Himiko was trying her best to calm down her friend. Having Tenko breakdown in front of her actually helped calm down the redhead.

                “Saihara-kun!” Kiibo shouted, getting the attention of the pondering detective.  Shuichi looked towards his direction, attention fully on the robot. “I think we should get Yumeno-san back first. She’s been out here in the cold for an hour already, she needs to get warmed up.”

                “Huh? But what about you?” He asked. “Aren’t you cold as well Kiibo-kun? You’re shivering…” _Of course, Shuichi noticed he was shivering. When did this boy not be perceptive?_

                “I have a heating function Saihara-kun, no need to worry about me!” Kiibo said. It wasn’t entirely a lie. He did have a heating function. _Problem is it needs repairs from getting slammed onto the ground_.

Kiibo was freezing but Himiko’s safety was his priority. _Humans should take priority over robots._ Yup, that’s right. The Law on Robotics dictates that.

“Saihara-kun please.” Kiibo pleaded to the detective. Shuichi wasn’t sure, he was conflicted, Kiibo’s eyes told him he was. Kiibo noticed as well that the little stray hair that always sticks up on Shuichi’s head had somehow bent lower than he normally sees it. One thing Kiibo learned from being partnered up with Shuichi on several assignments is that you could actually determine how Shuichi was feeling, sometimes thinking if you were observant enough, by looking at that stray hair.

                It had become one of Kiibo’s favorite game, guessing the detective’s current mood by looking at the top of Shuichi’s head.

                He heard a sigh probably from the detective, his stray hair drooping with his breath. Shuichi gets up from kneeling to communicate with Kiibo. Seems he had arrived at a decision. “Okay…” Giving in to the other’s demand, he went near Tenko, avoiding getting thrown by touching her shoulder and told her something that Kiibo couldn’t quite catch. After he finished, Tenko turned and disappeared from view, making Kiibo wonder what he told her.

                “Kiibo-kun? Can you stand?” the detective asked, standing on the same spot he was then. Kiibo had a feeling he already noticed that his back was injured but he didn’t want to become a bother. He nodded. “Yes, Saihara-kun, I am capable of standing.”

                “I know this might seem too much for you but can you lift Yumeno-san on your shoulders? Ah, but if it’s too much...”

                “I can do that.” He cut off Shuichi. Relying on something akin to adrenaline rush, he took the magician onto his shoulders in one fell swoop and walked slowly towards the edge Shuichi was peeking from. Kiibo held onto Himiko by her legs and told the other to hold onto his head. Pain shot through his body with each step he took but he buried it into himself by thinking of other things than the obvious agony he was experiencing. Kiibo learned that holding back screams made the pain worse.

                Shuichi reached out both of his hands, urging the mage to do the same. “Don’t worry Yumeno-san, I won’t let you fall.” Himiko only managed a small _nyeh_ before reaching for the assurance of Shuichi’s arms.

                When Shuichi was sure he got a hold of her, he carefully lifted the mage off of Kiibo. Shuichi held on to Himiko tightly, but Kiibo could see he wasn’t putting too much pressure from said hold. He didn’t move from his spot and brought Himiko up. He was not letting go until he was sure that the ground wouldn’t crumble beneath them.

                Shuichi exhibited a strength he had never seen before from the timid boy. He may have struggled a little, Kiibo noticed that his shoulders shook a bit when Himiko got nervous and moved but he was reliable all the same. After the first failed attempt, Shuichi lifted Himiko and stumbled due to the excess use of force but he somehow made sure that Himiko stood, while he was sitting on the ground, his butt probably a bit sore from slamming itself on the ground.

Realizing that she was now safe, it seemed that her knees turned into jelly letting her feel the very ground Shuichi was occupying. “You got her out Saihara-san.” Tenko exclaimed. _She’s back?_  

                Kiibo couldn’t see anyone of them from his vantage point but he had nothing left in him to move. He collapsed below, hoping it wasn’t too loud to worry them. Now that Himiko was safe, they could now get some help from the teachers to get him out. Shuichi was too weak to lift him up alone, despite that strength he previously witnessed and even if Tenko could, gravity would probably pull her down with him in the ditch. Getting help was the best option.

Since he wasn’t expending any energy on standing he decided to put that energy into listening.

                “Tenko, carry Himiko back to the hotel.”

                “Got it Saihara-san. By the way, here’s what you wanted me to get.”

                Kiibo heard the detective say thank you and noticed how there was only one pair of footsteps that walked away. He listened again, now hearing footsteps go farther away from him. Shuichi was getting help, that was what Kiibo told himself. Happy that he was finally going to get out of this ditch but he missed Shuichi’s presence. It felt lonely not to see any familiar face around.  

Spending the night in the woods wasn’t that big of a deal. His consciousness started to fade. He was running low on batteries.

                When Kiibo was ready with the idea of sleeping, waiting for someone to pick him up, he heard the rustle of some leaves followed by a low scream. “Aaauh!”

                Kiibo managed to turn towards the sound and from the looks of it, it was Shuichi dangling from a rope. He looked a bit like a koala bear holding tightly to the rope… Wait. WHAT!?

                “Saihara-kun!” he shouted, trying to get up despite the obvious inability. Out of all the times his adrenaline rush would not kick in it was at this moment. He silently cursed, he made a mental note to apologize to the professor for using such language.

 Shuichi noticed his actions and held up a hand before immediately going back on holding the rope. “Stop Kiibo-kun!”

                “Stay there and wait for me. Don’t you dare move!” He said while his fingers trembled. It was clear that he wasn’t used to the physical requirement of climbing down on a rope.

                “But…”

                “Kiibo-kun, no! Trust me. Stay put please.”

                Kiibo remained. He didn’t move an inch, the tone of Shuichi’s voice replaying in his mind. It was like that time during their scavenger hunt. He really wanted the other to trust him and that was what Kiibo was going to do. He was going to trust Shuichi.

                Shuichi appreciated his obedience and slowly went down the rope. The rope swung from his weight, causing stress to the detective but he pressed on, letting his fingers tremble and occasionally closing his eyes.

                Kiibo just looked on, a fear running in the back of his mind whenever he saw the rope swing a little too strongly for his taste. He wanted to run to where Shuichi was, to keep him safe if he ever made a mistake like Kiibo had a few minutes ago. Alas, he was held down by his own blunder, watching and praying that nothing happens to the boy in question.

                It didn’t take long before Shuichi found a rhythm he was comfortable with and fully got off of the rope. He landed securely and without wasting another minute he rushed towards the robot. “Kiibo-kun sorry for making you wait.”

                Shuichi didn’t say another word and leaned down to help Kiibo up. Kiibo appreciated the gesture, ignoring how soft the other’s hand was. His own might be as cold and unfeeling as the metal he was made with, but Shuichi’s had somehow made its way to his system.

                “Are we going to climb up?” Kiibo asked. Shuichi had led him to the end of the rope he had climbed down on. The spot had a lot of those spiky rocks about but it was a gentle slope, easily maneuverable just with extreme awareness of the rocks. He dreaded the way his body rejected the idea of climbing up the rope the same way Shuichi had. He was doing okay right now, Shuichi being his support and all, but he had qualms about scaling it just to get back on the trail.

                “Yes and no.” Shuichi responded, placing a hand on his head like he always did when he was doubting or being extremely shy. He pointed a finger to himself and gave off a soft smile. \

                “I’ll be climbing it.” Kiibo wasn’t exactly following his train of thought. “you’ll be on my back Kiibo-kun ahh…if it’s alright with you.”

                Kiibo couldn’t help but raise his brow from what Shuichi said, making the detective shrink back a little, thinking that Kiibo was uncomfortable with his suggestion. Shuichi looked like he was thinking whether or not they were close enough to actually not get awkward with having him on his back.

Kiibo on the other hand was uncomfortable for all the different reasons.          

            Imagining himself being carried on the back of Shuichi made it feel like his heating system was activated. He wasn’t a stranger to the sudden change of his condition whenever he was near the detective. It had been quite apparent the last few days but they came at seldom times that he thought it was just some virus that needed to be eradicated. He worried that maybe this virus could affect humans as well.

Kiibo didn’t want to risk the chance of getting him infected.

             “Saihara-kun I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

             “Kiibo-kun, I know I haven’t said anything up till now but you are seriously injured, aren’t you?” His face immediately changed from apologetic to worried. Shuichi caught on quickly when Kiibo was wincing from the pain of his back. Kiibo thought he was subtle well as subtle as a robot could get. _He probably wasn’t if he got caught this easily._ But thinking about it carefully it was just Shuichi was too observant. 

“You are in pain and I don’t want you to further stress your body. We need to get you repaired.”

             Shuichi genuinely looked like he was going to break down if Kiibo refused him any further. His forehead crinkled, trying hard to keep those wet spots on his eyes from turning into tears. Shuichi cried a lot, or he was a really emotional person, but no matter how many times he had seen Shuichi let his tears falls, he was never going to get used to how it made him feel. He hated seeing sadness cloud his beautiful face, but at the same time, seeing a human as fragile as him was enchanting.

             The moonlight shone on his face and to Kiibo it looked like the glass on churches, so hypnotizingly beautiful that he couldn’t manage another word, nodding to the detective instead of arguing back. He didn’t want to burden Shuichi but he didn’t want to be the reason Shuichi cried. The detective was thankful, the tears at a stand-still in his eyes.

             Shuichi kneeled down, making it easy for the other to climb to his back. His shoulders were wide, and something in Kiibo wanted to squeal when he came in contact with him. Kiibo was surprised by how perfectly he fit. Nervous jitters filled him and the pain he was feeling didn’t stop Kiibo from letting his heart react like a school girl in love.

             Shuichi settled his arms behind Kiibo’s leg, letting Kiibo giving Kiibo a cushion. Collecting himself for a few minutes, Shuichi stood up, jerking Kiibo a bit. The sudden movement surprised Kiibo, more when his weight shifted to be entirely on Shuichi’s back. He knew his heating system was down, but if it was functioning, it would probably be overheating. This space between them, or the lack thereof, was not good for his artificial heart.

             Shuichi’s legs were shaky, not used to the extra weight on him, especially since it was a robot. Still, he didn’t yield and steadied himself. “Kiibo-kun please hold tight.” Shuichi ordered. Kiibo just hummed his response, tightening the grip he had on Shuichi.

             Shuichi’s earlier distress in moving was replaced by steady steps, careful enough to not scare Kiibo of falling from his back. Shuichi moved his left hand, grabbing the rope he tied, while still perfectly balancing Kiibo on his back with his right. He pulled on the rope, using it as a support to climb the steep slope. Not only was Shuichi being attentive to the places he placed his foot, he made sure Kiibo was not going to slip all the time.

             “Are you okay Kiibo-kun?” Shuichi asked for the third time, they still weren’t out of the ditch yet but Shuichi had somehow made it his task to inquire about Kiibo every step of the way. That was too considerate.

             “Yes, Saihara-kun…” Shuichi just mumbled an okay before continuing his efforts to scale the side of the ditch.

             No more words were exchanged until they finally reached the top. Shuichi did it. He managed to get both of them out of harms way. Kiibo did a little cheer in his head, letting out the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

             Kiibo saw the path that they took to reach the ditch and he could see the lights from the hotel at a distance. It was really far away, maybe a ten-minute walk if he wasn’t injured but seeing as he was, it was most likely 20 minutes.

             He was ready to get off of Shuichi, he could endure the pain until the hospital but Shuichi didn’t let him. “Uhh, Saihara-kun I can make it from here.”

             “No.” His tone was firm.

             “Eh? Why?”

             “You’re hurt. I won’t let you knowing that.” Shuichi was insistent. He repositioned his arms to support Kiibo and kept on walking, not letting Kiibo even attempt to get off. They had gone a fair distance from the ditch when Kiibo noticed that Shuichi was staggering, of course he was, it was already deep into the night, he was sleepy. Shuichi overexerting himself must have contributed to him feeling so tired. Kiibo was really apologetic. “Saihara-kun…” he started but was shut down immediately by the detective.

 “No Kiibo. Let me take care of you. Please stop thinking you need to be selfless to make yourself feel like you belong.”

             Kiibo’s breath hitched. He did not see Shuichi’s expression but he was sure that there was no hint of sarcasm or humor in them. Shuichi was dead serious and it even sounded sad. He made Shuichi angry.

             “You may be a robot, and despite what you believe you’re not below humans. Regardless of what you are, in my head, you’re a precious friend. I won’t let my friends get hurt. Not again…”

             Kiibo felt Shuichi tense a little, “So please, rely on me a little.”

             The silence that engulfed their way back was almost too comforting. Kiibo was too speechless to counter, affirm or even recognize what Shuichi said.

             _Shuichi thought he was a precious friend. Shuichi treated him as an equal. Shuichi cared. Shuichi cared for a robot like him. An artificial intelligence like him._

             Those thoughts swirled in Kiibo’s head, feeling an abundance of happiness as each idea sunk into him. He didn’t notice before the detective pointed it out. He was always trying to be helpful. Thinking he needed their validation to be considered a part of this class but he denied himself of what made him an ultimate, shutting off every additional program that the professor added to him that didn’t seem human like.

             Kiibo was an ultimate, he knew that, but compared to everyone here, he just didn’t feel like he belonged since he didn’t work his way to it. He was born into it and he felt that ostracized him more from his classmates.

             He was searching for someone to need him, to feel like he had a place here in this academy.

_How could he not see that he always had them even without working that hard?_

             It might have been a selfish desire, he should probably not do it, but he did. Kiibo buried his face into the neck of Shuichi, startling the detective. He held on to him, listening closely to the heartbeat of Shuichi. He let the drumming of his own heart sync and it served as a lullaby. Kiibo let himself indulge on the feeling of Shuichi’s warmth, memorizing the strong back that became the foundation of his existence at the moment. Kiibo felt safe, safer than he ever felt before, in the presence of a boy he had once looked down upon but now, there was nothing in his sights beside him. Shuichi Saihara was all he could see before falling into sleep mode, equaling deep slumber.

If Kiibo’s weight bothered Shuichi, he didn’t say. He just continued his walk, until they reached the hotel, letting Kiibo experience the most peaceful rest he had in ages.

* * *

 

             “Oh hooooooo~” Professor Idabashi chimed when Kiibo stopped a moment to breathe. Kiibo had been telling him about the black-haired detective, describing each encounter he had that made him feel that Shuichi was no longer a friend. Listening to how Kiibo described the boy, he understood why his son fell so hard for him. He was someone you would want as your in-law. They were polite, level-headed, intelligent and well, good-looking. If he fit perfectly with every check-list Professor Idabashi made when he was younger, then maybe he might steal the boy for himself. _Nahh, I’m not that evil to steal my son’s happiness._

             Seeing the lovestruck look on Kiibo was certainly amusing for the professor. He was half-expecting hearts to replace his irises when he was telling his story.

             “He sounds wonderful Kiibo,” his father said, smiling at him.

             “He is.”

             Shuichi was too wonderful that he did not deserve to leave this world yet.

             The world needed someone like him.

             Neo Hope needs the shy detective.

             The 53rd class couldn’t go on without Shuichi.

_I need him in my life…_

             “Father, do you think I should give my consent?” He finally asked the professor what he wanted to ask at the start before he started rambling.

             The professor only looked at him. “You already have an answer without consulting me Kiibo. This is your feelings and yours alone. Decide on it.”

             “I understand father… I’m going to save Saihara-kun.”

             “Good, now leave. I’m a busy man. Don’t call me again Kiibo.” His father let out an annoyed face, shooing Kiibo away with his left hand. Kiibo got confused at his sudden dismissive behavior.

              “Ehh. How can I update you on my school life?”

              “I don’t need that right now…” the professor sighed, he really looked annoyed that it scared Kiibo that he did something wrong. His father let silence linger between them then with a slightly amused tone he said. “I’ll only pick up when Shuichi Saihara comes by to say hi.”

             A grin broke into his face and Kiibo almost didn’t catch it. He rolled his eyes at his father, a childish prank to do to his child.

             “Don’t worry father. Next time, I’ll properly introduce Saihara-kun to you.”

             Kiibo waves good bye, reaching for the off button on the transmission.

             “Sure, hopefully, he’ll be ready to become my son in law at that time.” Professor Idabashi let out a loud laugh before pressing the end transmission on his side. Kiibo couldn’t get as much as a hey, the screen had already turned black, the professor out of his sights.

             His father was so mean, saying something so embarrassing. _I haven’t even confessed yet, what was he expecting me to do._

Kiibo looked at the clock and sure enough it was a little past seven in the evening.  A little too early to submit himself to sleep. He better start practicing his lines.

             _Shuichi deserved a perfect confession._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alola! _gahd i love all of angie's weird greetings_
> 
> Kiibo is the other cinnamon bun that needs to be protected. I based this somewhat on his fte's since i just saw them from my fave youtuber's channel XD he might be ooc, idk i think he was, so please don't hurt me, T.T this fic has been taking over my life and i choose this over reading law books so yeah, i'll need to step up my game in studying. 
> 
> Speaking of this fic, a shout out to those two commenters on NicoB's video of V3~ I won't say which vid but while i was scrolling through the comments i saw the two of you mention my fic ~~though you didn't really say the title~~ and it made me squeal like a child on christmas eve. I'd like to think you were talking about this when i read your comments and i just wanted to say I was really touched that people genuinely think this is awesome and talk about it outside Ao3. It made my whole week! 
> 
> THANK YOU TO YOU BOTH WHOEVER YOU ARE~~~
> 
> Well then bye-onara 
> 
> random note: i painted my nails today with amasai colors because they are precious. i may love oumasai to infinity and beyond but amasai is aesthetically pleasing ~~which explains the random amasai inserted in kiibo's memories i'm sorry kiibo, i should have let them focus on you~~ i find it pretty though i kinda messed it up. haha meh.
> 
> thank you for reading~~


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